


Don't Worry, Baby, The Future is Fine

by danigobingo



Series: The Future is Here and It's Ours [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex and Mae bonding time, F/F, Kara and Mae bonding time, Kid Fic, Lena and Mae bonding time, Supercorp slow burn, Visitor from the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-02-11 00:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 66,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12923787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danigobingo/pseuds/danigobingo
Summary: After a mysterious spaceship crashes near the outskirts of National City, Supergirl's life is turned upside down when the inhabitant of that ship is not only revealed to be alien, but something more. Kara and Alex take the girl under their wings, but suspect the girl knows more than she's letting on.





	1. Chapter 1

“Lean into your punches, Kara. Keep your weight on your back foot.”

Kara was currently training at the DEO with her older sister, Alex. They were both in the Kryptonite-laced training room doing hand-to-hand combat. The sisters came down here at least once a week to improve Kara’s fighting skills; not to say that she was a bad fighter, but Alex felt that her sister relied a little too much on her power-set in her battles, which was fine when battling other aliens and giant purple monsters, but could be dangerous in regular crime situations such as robberies. Plus, with Cadmus once again on the rise, Kara had to be prepared for anything, especially since the organization seemed to have mountains of Kryptonite at its disposal.

“I am!” Kara exclaimed as Alex hit her in the side, sending her to the ground. The Kryptonite levels had weakened her so much that she stayed down.

“Why do we have to train like this anyhow?” Kara groaned.

“Because not everything can be solved with super strength and heat vision.”

“It usually does.”

Alex leapt off the platform and turned off the Kryptonite, grabbing two towels and two water bottles in the process, handing one of each to Kara.

“Come on. Let’s get you under those sun-lamps.”

 

Kara could feel her strength returning the longer she lay under the yellow sun lamps. But she was starting to grow fidgety, for she hated remaining idle for too long.

“How much longer?”

“About 15 more minutes.” Alex had changed from her workout clothes into her lab coat, observing Kara’s recovery from their session.

Kara huffed. “It feels like I’ve been under here for hours!”

“You’ve only been under there for 45 minutes!”

Kara started to sit up. “I feel fine, Alex, seriously.”

Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ah ah ah, missy. Thirteen more minutes.”

Kara let out an annoyed sigh before lying back down in defeat.

“What if something happens in the next thirteen minutes? What if Cadmus attacks again?”

Alex shook her head. “They won’t.”

“Alex, I know they’ve been MIA for three weeks, but that doesn’t mean they’re up to something. I don’t know what their endgame is.”

Kara closed her eyes and let out a breath. Her last fight against Cadmus landed her under these lamps for three whole days, leaving National City practically defenseless. Luckily, J’onn helped to fill her absence while she recovered, but Kara still felt useless and has been on edge ever since. The anti-alien organization was getting stronger by the day, so for them to cease all attacks for three weeks straight set Kara and the rest of the DEO on edge. Something big was coming, they just didn’t know what it was.

And Kara wasn’t sure that she could stop it.

What made things worse was Lillian Luthor, the head of Cadmus. She was as intelligent as she was ruthless, and that made a deadly combo. Ever since her son Lex went to prison, Lillian has taken up his personal vendetta against alien-kind, vowing to get rid of the “invaders” once and for all.

The only good thing about dealing with Cadmus is that it introduced Kara to Lena, Lillian’s daughter and Lex’s younger sister. Nothing like the rest of her family, Lena was smart, beautiful, and kind, always helping out Kara and Supergirl whenever she got the chance to. While her cousin Clark warned her to not trust Lena, Kara couldn’t help but find herself drawn to the woman. Kara trusted Lena with just about everything. Except for her being Supergirl, but that was a secret for another day.

“I need to be ready for when they do come back. I don’t want to repeat what happened last time.”

Alex grabbed her sister’s hands and squeezed it. “You will be. You’re getting better with each session.”

Kara smiled, grateful for her sister’s confidence in her. Just then, Winn sprinted into the room.

“You guys need to come downstairs.”

Kara bolted straight up, almost hitting her head on a sun-lamp. She and Alex were soon following Winn out of the medical ward and down into the main control room. J’onn was already there, his hands on his hips, his usual scowl adorning his face.

“What have we got, Agent Schott?”

“Hey, that rhymed!” Winn went for a high-five with J’onn but the look on the Martian’s face convinced him to do otherwise. “Never mind…anyway, we just got wind of a large unidentified aircraft that crashed just 10 miles outside the city limits. From what we’ve gathered, it doesn’t appear to be from this Earth.”

“Alien, maybe?” Alex inquired, her eyes locked on the screen.

“I’m pretty sure that ‘doesn’t appear to be from this Earth’ and ‘alien’ are synonymous, so…I’m going to shut up now.” Winn stammered as Alex gave him one of her famous death glares. “If it isn’t alien, then the military is going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I’ll go check it out.” Before Alex could mutter a protest, Kara was already halfway to the crash site. She landed a little ways away from the aircraft, smoke coming out from what Kara assumed to be its engine.

“Guys, I’m here. I’ve got eyes on it.” Kara spoke into her earpiece.

 _“What do you see?”_ Alex responded.

“A decent-sized spaceship by the looks of it…wait a minute.” Kara walked closer to the ship. She recognized some of the markings on this ship, but not on this Earth.

On Earth One.

“It’s a jump-ship.”

_“What, like from a time-ship?”_

“Yeah, like the one the Legends have.” Kara took a quick look around, finding a door ajar on the other side of the ship.

“Looks like whoever was here isn’t here anymore.”

Kara peered inside. Lights were flickering, sparks were flying, and smoke was pouring out of every crevice the ship had. She stepped inside, using her X-ray vision to see if anything or anybody else was still here. She gasped when she saw the outline of a body under some seats.

“Guys! Someone’s in here!”

_“I thought you said no one was there?”_

“Inside the ship, Alex. I just found her!”

Kara helped the unconscious girl out of the ship, gently laying her on the ground. Kara could make out her heartbeat easily; she was still alive.

“Thank Rao.”

Yet there wasn’t a scratch on her. The girl wasn’t even bleeding. Kara found that very strange considering the shape the rest of the ship was in.

Her eyes widened when she finally saw what was emblazoned on the girl’s chest: the symbol of the House of El.

The symbol of her family.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena go on a lunch date while Alex figures out who the mystery girl is.

Kara couldn’t help but stare through the window of the DEO’s medical ward, several thoughts swirling through her head all at once.

The girl she found in the ship was lying on one of the beds, now wearing a DEO t-shirt and sweatpants, the suit she was wearing being held in another room to be tested. The girl looked peaceful as she slept, her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic pace. Her black hair was long and wavy, cascading over her left shoulder like a black waterfall. While her skin lacked any color, it had a faint doll-like beauty to it. She reminded Kara of Lena in a way. Not that she had seen Lena sleeping or anything, but just the features on the girl’s face reminded her so much of the CEO.

Alex was in there with her, along with a few other medical officials, making sure her vitals checked out. Winn was downstairs with J’onn trying to figure out more about the jump-ship and where it came from, as well as the girl’s suit. Kara wasn’t good with medicine or tech, so she just stood watch, hoping for someone to prove her hunch about the girl wrong.

Or did she want someone to prove it right?

Alex finally stepped out a few minutes later, still wearing her lab coat.

“Well, she’s definitely an alien. We couldn’t get a needle in her arm. Samuels actually broke one.”

Kara furrowed her brow. “She has to be Kryptonian.”

Alex sighed, knowing what was coming. “Kara…”

“She was wearing my family’s symbol on her chest when I found her. Not only is she Kryptonian, but she’s a member of the House of El.” Kara’s eyes started to water. “I have family here now. I know I have Kal, but he’s on the other side of the country living his own life. The point is I’m not the only one like me in this city anymore.”

Tears were streaming down Kara’s face, but the hope in her eyes shone like diamonds. Alex looked at her sister, putting her hands in her coat pockets before speaking.

“I know how much this means to you, Kara, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up if she’s not.”

“But what if she is?” Kara’s face and resolve hardened, and Alex knew that there was no arguing with her about this.

“We won’t know until she wakes up, and that could be hours from now. Days even.

Kara nodded and crossed her arms. “I’ll stay with her until then.”

“Don’t you have to be somewhere with a certain Luthor?” Alex smirked.

Kara’s eyes widened. “Oh crap! I totally forgot!” She rushed towards the door, nearly tripping over her cape. “Please let me know if she wakes up?”

“I will.”

With that, Kara flies away towards L-Corp, where she was meeting the CEO for lunch. Alex couldn’t help but laugh at her sister. Kara clearly adored Lena; it was only a matter of time before she figured out why.

Alex turned back to look into the medical ward, the alien girl still sleeping.

“What are you?”

\----------------------------

Kara straightened her glasses one last time, waving to Jess before entering Lena’s office. The CEO was on her laptop, as usual, taking care of contracts and meetings and Rao knows what else. Kara didn’t know much about business, but she knew Lena could handle any challenge that came her way. That was one of the things that Kara loved about her.

“Kara! You’re here.” Lena’s voice brought Kara back to reality, her heart swelling at the sight of Lena’s smile.

“I brought take-out.”

Lena laughed. “You can never stay away from your potstickers, can you?”

“What can I say? The taste is addicting.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were your Kryptonite.”

Kara let out a small laugh, hoping that Lena couldn’t see the color flooding into her cheeks. She hands Lena a bowl of her favorite soup as the CEO sits down.

“So how’s work going?” Lena asks.

“Hectic as usual.” Kara rolls her eyes. “Snapper’s been in one of his moods lately, threatening to fire anyone who has so much has a misplaced comma in their article.”

Lena chuckled. “That’s harsh, even for Snapper. What’s got him so wound up?”

“Beats me.” Kara starts stuffing her mouth with potstickers. “James is at his wit’s end dealing with Snapper. Their screaming matches have become routine now.”

“And you?”

Kara shrugged. “I’ll survive. I’m tougher than I look.”

Lena smirked. “I know you are. But if he causes you any more trouble, just let me know.”

Kara laughed. “Will do.”

The two women continued to talk about various topics, mostly work-related. Lena was currently working on establishing a branch in Star City, with a press conference announcing the decision in a few days.

“Lena, that’s so exciting!” Kara swallowed her last potsticker. Lena smiled so wide that Kara did too. Lena had this effect on her: seeing her happy made Kara happy, and she didn’t know why. It didn’t matter because Kara loved seeing Lena in her element, working on projects that will change the future for good. Lena’s passion for helping the world made Kara all the more fond of her, and she would do anything to keep that passion alive.

“Thank you, Kara.” Lena smiled. “I was hoping you would come and maybe cover the story?”

“Of course! I would love to.”

“Great.” Lena smiled that infectious smile of hers. “Oh, and one more thing. Could you ask Supergirl to come as well?”

Kara blinked. “O-of…sure.”

“I know that Cadmus has been quiet for nearly a month now, but I don’t want to take any risks. I feel safer with her there.”

Kara suppressed the urge to grin. She feels safer when I’m there! “I will ask her, but I’m sure she’d come no matter what.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. You guys work well together.”

“Who would’ve thought it? A Luthor and a Super.” Lena looked down at her hands, her smile barely visible. Kara wonders if something is wrong, but Jess barges in before she could ask.

“Ms. Luthor, the mayor of Star City is here. He’s waiting in the conference room.”

“Thank you, Jess.”

Lena puts the lid on her half-finished soup—she has no idea how Kara can eat so much—before standing up.

“I’m sorry, but duty calls. Are we still on for tonight?”

“Of course we are!” Kara grinned.

“Then I’ll see you later.” Lena winked, making Kara blush. Lena had this way of making Kara flustered, physically incapable of speech. But in a good way, she decided.

“See you later,” Kara whispered as Lena left to go attend the meeting. Kara cleaned up the remnant of lunch, stuffing containers and bowls into the take-out bag. She made her leave after throwing everything away, the biggest smile plastered on her face. She was hanging out with Lena Luthor again. Tonight. In her apartment. Watching old Disney movies.

They had been planning something like this for ages now, but more often than not had to cancel due to either Lena having an L-Corp situation or Kara having a Supergirl emergency.

Kara crossed her fingers and prayed to Rao that nothing would interrupt them tonight.

\-----------------------

Alex had just finished her third cup of coffee of the night. She had sent the rest of the medics home, saying she would brave the graveyard shift and watch over their mystery patient. The girl had remained as still as she had when Supergirl brought her in eight hours ago: motionless except for the rhythmic breathing.

Alex had no idea what to expect from their visitor. Their tests (or attempts to) had only proven that their visitor was an alien, but they still didn’t know which species. Kara swore that the girl was Kryptonian, but Alex was a little more hesitant to believe so. That’s what they all thought about Mon-El when he arrived, and look how that turned out. Nevertheless, her sister had a point. Why else would the girl sport the crest of the House of El if she wasn’t from Krypton? So, to test the theory, Alex had put her under the sun-lamps after everyone had gone home. So far, nothing had happened, but Alex was determined to give Kara peace of mind, even if the girl wasn’t from Krypton.

She got up to fix herself another cup of coffee. It was going to be a long night. The rest of the DEO was dark, as most of the agents had gone home save for the custodial crew and a few members of the late night squad. Most of them were new-bloods, fresh-faced recruits of the DEO on their first all-nighter since college. Alex remembered her first night on the job, nearly falling asleep twice before J’onn—previously thought to be Hank Henshaw—had to sit with her to make sure she didn’t. The halls were quiet, a little to quiet for Alex’s taste. She had seen enough horror movies to know that quiet never meant that something good was about to happen. She fixed her coffee and headed back to the medical ward as fast as she could.

The sight of an empty bed almost made her drop her cup.

Well, isn’t that just lucky.

Alex placed her cup on the desk and hurried downstairs to the control room, hoping surveillance had picked up on something. Sure enough, there was the girl on Camera 4, clad in DEO sweats, headed down the hall to one of the hangars the organization housed. Alex bolted after her, knowing exactly where the girl was going.

She entered the hangar where they were keeping the jump-ship, her gun drawn. The ship had definitely seen better days. It was still pretty banged up from the crash, but their technicians were doing everything they could to fix it. Winn and his team of specialists were running every test in the book to determine the point of origin, but so far, no luck. Now that its passenger was apparently awake, Alex was determined to get those answers. The old-fashioned way if it came to that.

She made her way towards the ship, carefully putting one foot in front of the other so as to not make her presence known. She heard muffled groans and curses from inside the ship. Alex cocked her gun, ready to shoot if necessary.

The door to the ship was wide open, making it easy for Alex to sneak inside. She saw the girl at the front of the ship, fiddling with wires and buttons, mumbling to herself while she worked.

“Come on, come on, come on. Work, goddammit!”

She pounded her fist against the controls in defeat, rubbing her free hand through her hair. Alex took this time to act.

“Freeze!”

The girl immediately froze, raising her hands over her head.

“Turn around. Slowly.”

The girl did as she was told, pivoting around until she and Alex were face-to-face. Alex kept her gun pointed at her as the girl squinted.

“Alex?”

Now it was Alex’s turn to freeze. How did this girl know her name?

“Stay where you are. Don’t move.”

The girl’s face fell, as if she had been told her dog had been moved to a farm upstate. Alex held her ground. What was this girl playing at?

“Who are you?”

The girl dropped her hands, shadows of tears starting to form in her eyes.

“My name is Mae. And I think I’m in the wrong time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your comments and Kudos!! They meant the world to me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a little longer than the last one, so I hope it was okay. Third chapter coming down the pipeline!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex learns who Mae really is while Kara and Lena have a Disney/Netflix "date" and Lena reflects upon how much Kara means to her (d'awwwww, FLUFF)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your patience. I'm sorry this is up so late and I will try to be better with posting these earlier. I'm also sorry because I only outlined the first half and just spit-balled the last half so I hope it turns out okay. :D

Alex watched in amazement as Mae scarfed down three entire pizzas by herself. They had gone back to Alex’s place—both wanted to sleep in a real bed—and have been spending the last hour or so binge-eating pizza, noodles, and potstickers. The girl could eat, that was for sure. The only person Alex knew that could rival Mae’s eating abilities is Kara. Now that’s an eating contest she would pay to see.

 _Focus Alex_.

“So, Mae. You’re an alien from another time, if I heard you correctly.”

Mae nodded, still chewing on a piece of pizza.

“May I ask which one?”

Mae swallowed. “The alien part or the time part?”

Alex hesitated for a second. “Let’s go with time first.”

“The future.”

Alex blinked. “The future? Like the near future or the far future?”

Mae smirked. “I guess somewhere in between.”

“Well, I’m going to need more than that. What year are you from?”

“The year 2038.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “You’re a long way from home, aren’t you?”

Mae huffed. “I guess you could say that.”

She took a sip of orange juice while Alex took a swig of her beer, trying to make sense of all this. She knew time travel was real—Kara had told her all about the Legends—but she didn’t think it was possible on this Earth at least.

“Are you from here?”

Mae tilted her head. “If you mean ‘here’ as in National City, then yes. Born and raised. A proud citizen.”

“No-no, I mean…” Alex stammered, but was cut off by Mae’s amused laughter, the kitchen light gleaming off the chain necklace she was wearing. Alex meant to ask about that as the rest of it was hidden under Mae’s shirt, but the young girl spoke before she could.

“I know what you mean. Yes, I am from this Earth, but I have traveled to Earth-1 on more than one occasion.” She looked down, clasping her hands in front of her as Alex just stared at her blankly. “I understand that you have a lot of questions, and I will try to answer as many as I can. I’ll start by reintroducing myself. Hello, my name is Mae. I was born and raised in National City. I’m from the year 2038. I work as a waitress at Noonan’s during the day, but as I’m sure you know given that I woke up in something other than my suit, I highlight as a superhero in my off-time.”

Mae smiled. Alex just continued to stare at the girl. She looked almost exactly like Kara when she smiled. “Okay,” she swallowed. “First question: when I found you back in the hangar, you knew my name. How?”

Mae shrugged. “Easy. We work together.”

Alex leaned forward, her brow furrowed. “You work for the DEO?”

“Yup. You helped train me, actually. Not to brag, but I’m pretty good with a .9 millimeter.”

“But…I’m assuming you’re an alien, so why would you need to know how to use a gun?”

“Half-alien. I was stubborn and wanted to be cool like you. And you couldn’t say no to this pout.”

Alex blushed. _I’m cool?_

“Wait a minute. You’re half-alien?”

Mae froze. Alex took note of this. She wasn’t supposed to divulge that information. The older woman crossed her arms, knowing she had Mae right where she wanted her.

“Which alien species makes up that half?”

Mae looked down at her nails, avoiding Alex’s gaze.

“Well?”

The younger girl took in a sharp breath, still looking down.

“Kryptonian.”

Her voice was barely a whisper, but Alex understood it. She was Kryptonian after all. Kara was right. Her sister would be so happy.

_Oh God…_

“Shit!” Alex reached for her phone and walked towards the window. “I forgot to tell Kara that you’re awake.”

Mae’s head snapped up. “What?”

Alex turned to face the half-Kryptonian. “I told her that I would let her know if anything happened. And well, stuff happened.” Before she could text Kara that, however, her phone was yanked out of her hands. She whipped around, finding it in Mae’s hand, the girl’s face hard.

“You can’t tell her I’m here.”

Alex raised her hands. _How the fuck did she do that?_ “Why not?”

“Because I’m from the future, dammit.”

“Yeah. I know that ‘cause you told me and the fact that Kara found you in a freaking jump-ship.”

Mae’s face softened. “Kara found me?”

Alex nodded furtively. “Yes, she found you. Once we got word of your ship, she flew out there immediately. She was practically in tears when she saw that symbol on your chest.”

“Why? Was she upset?”

“More like relieved that she’d have another Kryptonian with her in this city. At least, for the time being.”

Mae ran her free hand through her hair. “I’m not even supposed to be here. And she has Uncle Kal, doesn’t she?”

Alex raised her eyebrows as Mae clasped a hand over her mouth. “Shit.”

“Clark is your uncle?”

Knowing there was no getting out of this hole she dug, Mae nodded. Before Alex could form a response, Mae stood up and quickly walked over to Alex, almost knocking the older woman over with how fast she moved.

“Okay, okay. I’m going to tell you who I am. But you cannot tell anyone else. Especially Kara.”

Alex looked at Mae. The girl’s eyes were wide with fear and conviction, a powerful maelstrom locked in both, just waiting to be released. She had seen that look before…

Mae stepped back, her gaze locked on Alex as she pulled out the rest of her necklace. A deep blue crystal was attached on the end of the silver chain, the same color as the young girl’s eyes.

“My mother gave me this necklace after my first battle. Her mother gave it to her when she boarded a pod for Earth.”

Alex couldn’t speak at first, trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together. Suddenly, it clicked for her. Could this really be…?

“You’re Supergirl’s daughter.”

\-----------------------

“I’m telling you, Beauty and the Beast is the greatest movie the world has ever seen.”

“I believe you, Kara. You kept talking about it while we were watching The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Hercules.”

“I still can’t believe you hadn’t seen any of these. They’re classics!”

Kara and Lena were sitting on the couch in the former’s apartment, watching old Disney movies on Netflix and eating pizza. Kara was having the time of her life; at least, that’s what it looked like to Lena. The blonde’s energy was infectious and it had Lena just as excited to watch movies that had made Kara’s childhood. And she was right; these movies were classics. The Luthors didn’t want their children to be “brainwashed by those cartoons”, as Lillian had put it; instead encouraging—or rather forcing—her and Lex to engage in “proper” activities, such as chess or piano. Lena never thought that she would experience anything that kids her age experienced, but luckily Kara Danvers brought that light into her life, and she was ever so grateful for it.

Lena and Kara have been meeting up as much as they could ever since that fateful day that the blonde reporter walked into her office with Clark Kent. Lena was amused at the way Kara behaved. She was awkward, but in a cute and endearing way. Lena only realized that there was more to Kara when she said that she believed in Lena. A statement that Kara has repeated to her—and everyone else—over and over again. Lena had never had anyone in her life stand up for her like that before; not even her own brother, even before he went insane and started going after Superman. Lena looked at the blonde as she sang along to the opening song of Beauty and the Beast and smiled, hoping that this friendship would last forever.

Did she want it to just be friendship though? Lena wasn’t sure. True, she had noticed that she was significantly happier when Kara was around and that her heart pumped ten times faster when they were in the same vicinity. Maybe she did have feelings for the blonde. But she decided to put that thought away for now. There was a strong chance that Kara didn’t feel the same about her. But even if that was the case, Lena didn’t mind. She only wanted to see Kara happy, because underneath that spunky and sunny exterior, Lena knew that Kara was hurting. She had lost her family when she was a child after all, that couldn’t have been easy. There was also the really bad break-up with Mon-El that really put a damper in Kara’s spirit. If he was still here, Lena might have to kill him for hurting her best friend like that. So she decided to be there for Kara since Kara has always been there for her. And Lena wouldn’t have it any other way.

She realized that she had been staring at Kara and not paying attention to the movie when the blonde turned and met her eyes. Lena blushed and turned away.

“Lena, are you seriously not paying attention? This is the best part!”

Lena laughed. “Kara, to you, everything’s the best part.”

Kara smiled that famous Danvers smile that made Lena weak in the knees. Thank God that she was sitting down. “That’s because this isn’t just a movie, Lena. It’s a work of art. A masterpiece, if you will. So shut up, turn around, and watch it for Ra-for God’s sake!”

Kara stuffed her mouth with her sixth piece of pizza, her cheeks going red. Lena pretended not to notice. She laughed to herself, thinking her friend was adorable. And she was. Kara was so special, not only to her, but to everyone in her life. Lena only hoped that Kara could see that going forward, that the blonde was meant for great things in the future. And she would help her if need be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena bond over breakfast and Supergirl meets Mae face-to-face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is up so late! My internet wasn't working last night.

The sun peeked its face into Kara’s apartment early the following morning, its rays gently caressing the blonde as she slept. She awoke with a start, however; nightmares still plagued her some nights. More often than not, they were about Krypton: its buildings crumbling in on themselves; the people of Argo City running and screaming as the ground broke and exploded underneath their feet; the looks on her parents’ faces as she got in that pod, knowing that they would never see their daughter again. And ever since she became Supergirl, the nightmares started to include the aliens—and the people—she fought. Kara rubbed her fingers against her forehead. She has dreamt about Cadmus more times than she can count these past few months. The organization had tortured her, prodded her like a lab rat until they didn’t need her anymore. Kara still bore the needle-marks on her arms from when they took her blood. She had been hiding them with long sleeve shirts so as not to frighten Lena.

Lena.

Kara sat upright in her bed, putting on her glasses. Did Lena go home last night? She didn’t remember saying goodbye. She heard a crash in the kitchen followed by a yelp. Without hesitating, she threw the covers off her and sprinted into the kitchen, ready to fight whoever broke into her home.

Instead, she found Lena standing over a broken glass, the smell of bacon and pancakes emanating from the stove.

“Lena!”

The dark-haired girl looked up, her green eyes wide with shock. “Kara. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She bent down and started to clean up the mess.

“It’s-it’s alright. Here, let me help.”

Kara joined Lena on the floor, picking up the pieces of the glass and placing them in the trash. Once the last shard was picked up, both women returned to their feet, almost bumping heads on the way up. Kara tried to hide her smile as they both apologized, but both women ended up laughing.

“What are you still doing here? I thought you left. I thought you had a meeting.”

“I had Jess push it back to later this afternoon. I was going to, but you crashed right after Beauty and the Beast ended. So I helped you to your bed and crashed on the couch. And now I’m making breakfast as a thank you for last night and every night and day that you’ve been my friend.” Lena looked down, her face turning a bright pink.

Kara smiled as she fiddled with her glasses. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did, Kara.” Lena took a step closer. “You have been nothing but kind to me since the day we first met. You believed in me when no one else did and you’ve helped me out in more ways than one. I…” Lena paused, biting her lip. “I’m very grateful to have you as a friend.”

Kara smiled widely. “And I you. Come here.” She embraced Lena in a tight hug. Kara could feel her heart pummel hard against her sternum, almost afraid that it would break from the beating. What an irony that would be, being taken down by her own heart when she had faced some of the deadliest creatures Earth has ever seen. “The food smells terrific. I didn’t know you could cook.”

Lena laughed as she focused her attention back on the food. “When I was little, I would sneak into the kitchens a lot. Mostly to avoid my mother. Our chef, Rosalind, was kind enough to let me help out making the meals. She taught me everything she knew. I spent many days down there before Mother found out and I was barred from entering the kitchen at all. Rosalind was let go a little while after that and we got a new chef, who was the stark opposite of Rosalind: cold, no-nonsense, rude.” She placed a couple pancakes and a few slices of bacon on a plate and handed it to Kara. “I may be a little out of practice, but I hope you like it.”

“You made it, Lena, of course I’ll love it.” Kara scarfed down her pancakes like they were nothing, the buttery taste exploding in her mouth. “These are really good.”

“I can tell. You practically shoved the whole stack into your mouth. How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Eat so much? I don’t mean to be rude, I just…”

Kara held her hand up as she finished swallowing the last bits of pancake. “It’s okay. I, uh, have a high metabolism, so I gotta eat a lot. Alex is quite jealous of that.”

“Any girl would be.”

“Are you jealous?”

Lena smirked. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little.”

Kara smiled. She couldn’t believe that this was happening. Lena spent the night, made breakfast (which was Kara’s favorite meal of the day), and they were bonding. Kara couldn’t help but feel that the gesture might have meant something more, but she quickly squashed that thought before she could dwell on it. Lena probably didn’t feel the same way, if Kara was right in suspecting what these feelings were. Before she could think about it too long, a text notification came through on her phone. It was from Alex.

-come to DEO ASAP.

Kara practically jumped out of her seat, racing back to her room to change. The girl must have woken up. At least, that’s what Kara hoped.

“Kara? Is everything alright?”

Kara threw on some black pants and a button up shirt over her Supergirl suit just as Lena walked in. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just…it’s a work emergency, I’m so sorry.”

Lena shook her head. “No, don’t apologize. I’m sure it’s important. Wouldn’t want to keep Snapper waiting.”

Kara laughed. “Yeah. Wouldn’t want to do that.”

“Will you still be over for lunch?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Lena smiled. “Alright. I’ll see you later then.”

Kara swung her bag over her shoulder and gave Lena one last hug before she headed out the door. “See you later.”

The two women waved bye to each other as Kara left the apartment. She immediately ran outside, quickly transforming into Supergirl and taking off into the sky. She raced towards the DEO, hoping that the girl was awake and that she would finally get some answers.

\----------------------

Alex let out a cry as she was thrown on her back by the young half-Kryptonian. Mae was as strong as Kara, and a very skilled fighter as well. Alex had brought the girl back to the DEO earlier that morning, before anyone else got there. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before after finding out that this girl was her sister’s daughter—her niece—so she decided to train with the girl to help regain her focus. However, being knocked to the ground five times in a row was not the best way to do that.

“Haha! Yes!” Mae shouted in victory. “Even past you can’t beat me.”

Alex groaned as she pushed herself back up. “Don’t push your luck, kid.”

Mae laughed, but her smile quickly went away. Alex knew what was bothering her. They had talked, well, more so argued about it last night.

“I can’t meet her.”

“You have to. She already knows you’re here.”

“I know, but what if she finds out who I really am? Then everything changes.” Mae sighed, rubbing her hands through her hair.

“Then it’s simple. We won’t tell her who you are. Not really.”

“Then what will we tell her?”

Alex paused. “I don’t know. We’ll figure this out tomorrow.”

Tomorrow had come, but neither of them had a clue of what to tell Kara. Alex knew that she couldn’t find out the truth. The only way she would is if Mae decided to tell her on her own time, but Alex doubted that would happen seeing as how adamant the girl was about keeping her identity a secret. J’onn would obviously find out because he’s psychic, but Alex trusted that he wouldn’t tell Kara or the others about Mae. They still had a few hours to kill before the rest of the staff arrived so they had more than enough time to come up with a plan. Then it hit Alex all of a sudden.

“Why don’t we just tell Kara that you’re Clark’s?”

Mae looked at her in confusion. “That could work. But only for a short while.”

Alex placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I'm just going to tell her. I...I can't find it in myself lie to her about this,” Mae said.

Alex nodded. “Okay.”

God, she looked so much like Kara. Alex didn’t know how she didn’t see it in the first place. Did Kara see it? She didn’t know. They would soon find out.

The two girls left the training room to hit the showers and change into clean clothes: Alex in her DEO attire and Mae in clean DEO sweats. The older woman insisted that Mae rest under the sun-lamps for at least a little while; just because she’s part alien doesn’t mean that she’s invulnerable.

After an hour under the lamps, Mae woke up to see Alex still at her side looking at her.

“Everything okay?”

Alex nodded. “I’m about to text Kara to come over here.”

Mae didn’t move for a moment before slowly nodding her head.

“Okay then.”

Alex picked up her phone and shot Kara a quick text. Not even two minutes later, Alex heard the whoosh of Kara landing on the balcony, asking an agent where her sister was. She looked over at Mae, who looked like she was about to be sick.

“Are you ready?”

Mae swallowed nervously before nodding again. Alex walked outside while she stayed in the medical ward, the older woman walking downstairs to greet her sister.

“Kara.”

The blonde looked up and smiled, jumping up the steps to hug the brunette.

“Everything go okay last night?”

“About as okay as it could go, I guess.”

Kara frowned as Alex took her hand.

“There’s someone who wants to meet you.”

Alex could practically hear Kara’s heart beat, the muscle pounding away against her rib cage. Alex wondered if Kara’s heart could actually break her ribs. How funny that would be.

The two women entered the medical ward, Kara coming out from behind Alex and meeting the dark-haired girl’s eyes. Kara noticed that they were the same shade of blue as hers; beautiful and untamed like the sea. She could’ve sworn that she saw tears forming in the girl’s eyes.

“Supergirl, this is Mae. Mae, this is Supergirl.”

“Kara.” Mae couldn't help herself as she spoke Supergirl's real name. Alex looked on with uncertainty as the two Kryptonians stared at each other. “Is she…?” Kara started to ask, her voice on the verge of breaking. Mae stared back at her, a tear running down her cheek. Kara couldn’t shake the feeling that this girl knew her. Of course, she probably did considering they found her in a jump-ship, but it was more than that. This girl was family, her family.

“Yes, I am.” Mae spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “ _Jeju_.”

Kara’s heart leapt into her throat. She was right. The girl was Kryptonian. And her daughter. Before she knew it, Kara was wrapping the girl in an embrace, trying to hold back her tears. Mae reciprocated, Alex smiling slightly as the girl also tried to fight back the rest of her tears.

Kara squeezed Mae tighter. “ _Rrip non voi_.” You're safe now.

Mae began to cry, her face burying into Kara’s shoulder as she understood the Kryptonian language. Kara rubbed the girl’s back in comfort, tears streaming down her cheeks as well. She had so many questions, but they could wait until later. Right now, she would hold Mae and comfort her until the tears ran dry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kara, Mae, and Alex bond a little before being interrupted by James.

Kara spent the rest of the morning by Mae’s side. She called CatCo to let Snapper know that she won’t be coming in to work today. Something about catching a cold, Kara wasn’t paying that much attention to her excuse or to Snapper’s response; her mind was otherwise occupied. She still couldn’t believe it. She, Supergirl, had a daughter in the future. She has a daughter! Kara didn’t know how or why, but all she knew was that she wanted to spend as much time with Mae as possible. She wanted to give her a tour of the DEO, but Alex told her that Mae works with them at the DEO in 2038, which amazed Kara. 

“So you’re a superhero too, huh?” Kara asked Mae as the latter used her heat vision to incinerate cardboard cutouts of Dominators, Metallo, and other Cadmus and alien threats. 

“Yep.” 

“And I let you?” 

Mae floated down, a small smile on her face. “I wanted to help people like you and use my powers for good.” 

Kara looked Mae in awe, her eyes starting to well with tears. She wanted to shut down the simulation and envelop her in a hug to tell her that she was proud of her, but she just smiled and pressed another button, replacing the melted cutouts with entirely new ones. J’onn wanted to test the extent of Mae’s powers despite Kara telling him that they would be the same as hers.

“I just want to be sure, Supergirl. This is just to verify that she is who she says she is.” 

“You’re psychic, J’onn. Can’t you just read her mind? It’s sounds easier.” 

“I tried, but something’s blocking me from accessing her thoughts. It’s quite powerful too.”

Kara frowned, wondering how Mae could’ve accomplished such a feat. So they went on with the tests, and so far, Mae was passing with flying colors. It made Kara all the more proud and astonished with the girl. Once J’onn was convinced, Kara invited Mae back to her apartment to get cleaned up and get a charge of clothes. Alex decided to come along as well, which Kara appreciated. 

The two women sat on the couch and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix while Mae took a shower, but Kara wasn’t paying attention to the kickass heroine’s antics on the screen. 

“What’s on your mind?” 

Kara looked up at Alex, an inquisitive look on the brunette’s face. 

“You know what’s on my mind.” 

“Yeah. Can’t believe that I have a niece.” 

Kara playfully shoved Alex, the older girl letting out a yelp. 

“Super strength, Kara! I’m not as invulnerable as you.” 

Kara laughed, but her smile quickly faded. “Alex. I have a daughter. That girl in my shower is my daughter.” 

“I know.” 

“How is that possible?” 

“Well, you know how it’s possible,” Alex winked. 

“Ew! Gross, Alex! No, I mean how did I have time? Between my life as Kara Danvers and my life as Supergirl, I don’t know how I made time to grow a child inside of me.” 

Alex leaned back against the cushions. “You know, you could always ask her.” 

Kara shook her head violently. “Alex, no. I’m not asking Mae how she was made. Rao, I’m sure she doesn’t even know.” 

“Come on, Kara, I’m just teasing ya.” 

Kara glared at Alex and returned her focus to the TV. Buffy was driving her stake through a vampire’s chest when she felt Alex shift next to her. 

“Anything on your mind, sis?” 

“There is one thing.” 

The tone in Alex’s voice made Kara pause the episode and turn to look at her sister’s face. “What is it?” 

Alex met her gaze. “Mae woke up late last night as I was getting coffee. She went down to the hangar to try to fix the jump-ship, but I stopped her. I didn’t know who she was, don’t give me that look.” Kara scowled as Alex continued. “She recognized me, which spooked me. So I took her to my apartment in the hopes of getting some answers out of her. Not like that, Jesus. She was telling me about herself and her time when I remembered that I hadn’t texted you. So I pulled out my phone and headed to the window to text you.” Alex paused, her heartbeat quickening in Kara’s ears. “Before I could press send, the phone…” 

“What are y’all talking about?”

Kara and Alex turned around to see Mae standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of jeans and one of Kara’s old college sweatshirts, drying her damp hair with a towel. 

“Nothing,” both women replied. 

Mae narrowed her eyes as she put the towel in a basket, walking over to sit across from Kara and Alex. 

“Is it okay if we get something to eat? I’m starving.” 

“You ate six pizzas and eight boxes of potstickers by yourself last night!” Alex exclaimed. 

Kara beamed. This was definitely her girl. Her stomach grumbled at the mere mention of food. She got up and walked over to the counter where her phone was laying. 

“Actually, can we get something other than take-out?” Mae asked. Kara turned around, wondering how Mae knew she was about to order take-out, before nodding. “Sure. Any place you would like to go?” 

“Hold on, Kara,” Alex stood up. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.” 

Kara folded her arms across her chest. “Well, it’s not like anyone’s going to recognize her, if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“You guys know I’m right here, right?” 

Mae was standing up now, her arms folded across her chest. She looked so much like Kara, Alex thought. This is going to take some getting used to. 

“Sorry,” Kara apologized, fiddling with her glasses. “How about Noonan’s?” 

Mae’s face lit up. “Sounds good.” 

The three women made their way for the door. “Oh! One more thing.” Mae turned to Kara. “Do you have an extra pair of glasses?”

\--------------------------

Noonan’s wasn’t that busy by the time they arrived, so they had no problem finding a table. After they ordered coffee and several pieces of cake, they sat in silence for a few minutes before Alex spoke up. 

“Think you’ll be able to get us a discount, Mae?”

“I don’t work here yet, Aunt Alex. You’re going to have to wait another twenty-one years.” She paused when she saw Alex widen her eyes. “I-I’m sorry. I won’t call you that if it makes you uncomfortable.” 

Alex shook her head. “It’s fine, Mae. If it helps you feel more comfortable here, then by all means, call me Aunt Alex.” 

Mae smiled sheepishly as she pushed Kara’s extra pair of glasses onto the bridge of her nose. Their server had just returned with their lattes. “I won’t call you that too much. I know you’ve got a reputation to uphold.” 

Alex furrowed her brow. “What gives you that impression?” 

“You only say that, like, all the time,” Mae laughed. “You may be a badass, but you’re really a big softie.” 

Kara joined in Mae’s laughter, nodding at how true that statement was. Alex scoffed. “How dare you. Both of you!” She threw a crumpled napkin at Kara, who was laughing even harder now. So much so, that she didn’t see the dark figure approaching her. 

“What are we laughing about?”

Kara looked up, her eyes widening in horror. 

"James!"

James was dressed in his business attire, holding a cup of tea in his hand and a look of confusion evident on his face. “You seem to be feeling better for someone who can’t get sick.”  
Shit. Kara could feel her face go red as she glanced over at Alex, hoping that she would help. “Is there something I’m missing here?” James asked, his tone almost accusing. “And who’s this?" He pointed at Mae, whose eyes went wide. Kara’s heart was pounding so hard that her head was starting to spin. “I…uh…this is…uh…” 

“Wait a minute.” James cut her off as he took a step towards Mae. “You look like someone I know. Do I know you from somewhere?”

To both Kara and Alex’s surprise, Mae spoke. “We haven’t met, no. But I think you’re talking about Clark Kent if I’m not mistaken. You’re James Olsen, right?” Everyone turned to towards Mae, looking at her as if she killed somebody’s dog. Alex and Kara shared a look that said, “What is she doing?” 

“How…how do you know Clark?” James stammered. 

“We’re cousins. Well, second cousins to be exact.” 

“How come he’s never mentioned you?”

Mae shrugged. “We aren’t that close, to be perfectly honest. I lived in Gotham for most of my life before getting a job in Star City at the Tribunal as a junior reporter. I’ve rubbed shoulders with Clark at a few press conferences and we’ve gotten lunch a couple of times where we talked about work stuff mostly. He mentioned you and Kara, so at least I know a familiar face in this city.”

Kara stared at Mae, her jaw practically hitting the table. How was she spinning lies so easily? Kara tripped over her tongue every time she tried to fib, which was why everyone made fun of her for it. How was this possible? 

James and Alex seemed to be equally as confused as Kara. “Okay,” James started, shaking his head as he tried to process the information given to him. Kara got a feeling that he didn’t quite believe her. “So what brings you here to National City?”

Mae froze, but only for a moment. “What’s today’s date?” She asked to no one in particular. 

It was Alex who answered. “March 21st.” 

Mae nodded, a glint of what Kara gathered to be recognition flickering in her eyes. “Ah, that’s right. I’ve never been good with time.” She laughed as she turned back to James. “I’m here to cover the press conference detailing L-Corp establishing a branch in Star City for the Tribunal. It should be exciting.” 

Kara noticed Mae’s heart flutter when she said “exciting”, and she furrowed her brow. The girl knew something. Alex picked up on this too.

James nodded slightly. “Okay then. I’ll see you at work soon then, Kara?” Kara nodded a little too enthusiastically. James turned back to Mae. “It was nice meeting you, ah…” 

“Mae. Mae Kent.” 

James smiled. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Kent. Alex.” 

Alex nodded stiffly as James exited the restaurant. They sat in silence until the server returned with their pieces of cake, Mae digging into her first slice as if she hadn’t eaten in months.  
“What the hell was that?” Alex broke the silence with her usual brusque tone. 

“What do you mean?” 

“What was that?” Alex gestured to the spot where James stood a few moments ago. “How did you come up with that story so easily?” 

“I’ve had practice,” Mae replied as she shoveled another bite of cake into her mouth. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kara inquired, her tone coming off a little harsher than she had meant it to. But she needed answers. Real answers. This girl was something else. Solve one mystery about her and two more take its place. 

Mae swallowed. “It means that it’s not the first time I’ve had to lie about who I really am.” Alex and Kara just stared at her, so Mae put down her spoon and continued. “Ever since I became…a superhero, I’ve been sent on many missions. Recon and information mostly. I had to get really good at lying in order to get what I needed. It was hard at first, but now it’s like second nature.” She huffed. “Don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” 

Mae took a sip of her coffee. “Did the DEO send you on these missions?” Alex asked. Mae shook her head. “I wasn’t lying when I said I work for the DEO. I do, sometimes. I’m part of another organization called The Young Justice Society of America, but we call ourselves Young Justice.”

Kara set down her spoon, suddenly not hungry anymore. “And what do y’all do?” 

“I just told you. Recon and information. I can’t say anything more, I’m sorry.” Mae resumed her eating, leaving Alex and Kara to exchange looks of uncertainty. Mae answered their questions, but it just left them both with more questions. Kara’s head was starting to hurt with all the new information being crammed inside of it. She decided to change the subject.

“Are you planning on attending the L-Corp press conference?” 

Mae looked up and met Kara’s eyes. “If that’s alright with you. I know you’ll be going since you’re a reporter and all.” 

“How do you…?” 

“I’m from the future, remember? I know everything.” Mae smiled, her eyes softening as she looked at Kara. The blonde returned her smile. Kara didn’t know why, but Mae looked a lot like Lena when she smiled. 

Oh shit. 

“I’m so sorry. I have to go.” Kara scrambled to gather her belongings, nearly tripping over the leg of her chair as she bolted for the door.

“Where you are you going?” Alex shouted behind her. 

“I forgot I had lunch with Lena!”

Alex guffawed. “Have fun!” 

She heard the whoosh of Kara flying off to L-Corp as soon as the blonde stepped outside. Alex looked over to see Mae smiling. 

“What are you smiling about?” 

Mae’s smile faded, her cheeks flushing with color. “Nothing.” 

“Liar.”

Mae’s hands were fidgeting, her face as red as a tomato. Alex put down her drink. “What’s wrong, kid?”

Mae looked at Alex. “Nothing’s wrong.” 

“Then tell me what’s on your mind.” 

Mae swallowed nervously. “Can I tell you something? But you must promise not to tell Kara.” She hesitated. "Not yet, anyway." 

Alex got wicked déjà vu from the previous night. “I promise.” 

Mae nodded. “I’m going to tell you something about my father. Or lack thereof, I should say.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get Mae's perspective of things and her time with her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! I'm so sorry for the delay, but the new chapter is up now!! It's a little shorter than the others, so I hope y'all don't mind. Thank you all for your kudos and comments, they mean the absolute world to me!! Happy reading!!

The next two days passed by as they normally would. Kara and Mae trained together, Alex occasionally joining them when she wasn’t attending to other DEO matters. The sisters also took Mae shopping for some new clothes; the girl couldn’t wear DEO sweats forever, no matter how comfortable they were. Mae also spent some time with Winn and J’onn when Kara and Alex went on missions. Despite her own credentials as a superhero, Kara didn’t want to have Mae in the field just yet, even if the threats were miniscule, so the young girl either from the control room with the other agents or helped Winn and his team try to fix her jump-ship. Mae wasn’t all that good with tech, but she wanted to help as much as she could, even if she was only handing Winn the tools he needed.

“From what I can see here,” Winn said as he lay underneath the main control panel of the ship. “All of the main control circuits are fried to a crisp, or at least they appear to be. I’ve never seen tech like this before and I work for an organization that specializes in alien tech. The crash really did a number on this bad boy.” 

“Is there anything you can do?” Mae crossed her arms in front of her chest, a hint of worry in her voice. 

Winn sat up, running a hand through his short, messy hair. “Nothing much. Our best bet would be to replace it, but I don’t know any tech store that sells anything like this. However, we can also try to get communications up to send a signal to your team so they know where to find you and possibly come rescue you. But that might take some time.” He looked up at the young girl, her blue eyes filled with hope. 

“Thank you, Winn. For everything.” Mae grinned, and Winn could finally see the resemblance to Kara. He and J’onn were pulled in the loop about Mae’s identity after some discussion, but the two men took the news better than expected. Well, J’onn had his suspicions—he is psychic after all—but Winn was completely clueless until Kara told him. He knew that they were probably related due to the House of El crest on Mae’s suit, but he wasn’t expecting anything like this.

“No problem,” Winn smiled back. They exited the ship and the hangar to head back to the main control room, where J’onn, Alex, and Supergirl were talking amongst themselves. Kara had just gotten back from patrol, where nothing really happened from what Mae could hear. According to Kara, the past few weeks had been strangely quiet after Cadmus’s last big attack, aside from the occasional robbery here and there, and it was putting her and the rest of the DEO on edge. 

“Hey,” Kara said when she saw Mae, and walked over and embraced the young girl. Mae reciprocated the hug, thankful that she didn’t lie to the blonde about who she was. She hated keeping secrets, especially from her family. 

“Is everything okay?” Kara asked as she pulled away. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” 

Kara smiled as she squeezed Mae’s shoulders. “You ready to go?” 

Mae nodded. She was exhausted despite being cooped up in the DEO all day. She wanted nothing more than to get her suit back and fly around National City with her mother, as they have always done. Well, in some years, they will. Mae wondered what her parents were doing right now in 2038. Probably worrying out of their minds as they scrambled to find a way to get her back. Mae worried about that too, but she had hope that they will be reunited. They had to be. 

After saying goodbye to Alex, J’onn, and Winn, the two Kryptonians took to the dark skies and headed back to Kara’s apartment. After staying with Alex for a night, Kara offered up her place. Mae had heard many stories from her mother growing up about all that happened in that quaint apartment: all of the game nights, late night talks, and all of the memories, both happy and sad. Seeing it for the first time in person, standing in the middle of the family room made Mae feel nostalgic, in a way, all of her mother’s stories coming back to her. It was like looking at her history, in a sense, and even though Kara was right there with her, it didn’t stop Mae from missing her. 

“Are you alright?” 

Kara entered the apartment behind her and Mae quickly tried to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired, is all.” 

Kara rounded the girl and looked her in the eyes. “I still can’t believe this,” she said as she brushed Mae’s hair out of her eyes. “That you’re a possibility become real.” 

Mae frowned. “Is that a good thing?” 

Kara grinned. “Sweetie, it’s a great thing. You are great.” 

“You barely even know me.” Tears started to regroup in Mae’s eyes, each holding an ocean that threatened to be released with a single word. Kara cupped Mae’s cheek with one hand, never looking away, her voice barely a whisper. 

“You’re my daughter. My kind, beautiful, amazing daughter. That’s all I need to know.” 

With that, Mae broke down. She cried into Kara’s shoulder, her hands gripping the blonde’s cape like it was her lifeline. Kara hugged her back, stroking her hair and offering words of comfort as the young girl sobbed into her neck. Kara wonders how many times she’s done this in the future. She’s no stranger to giving comfort to someone in need, be it her sister or her friends or even Lena, but giving it to her own flesh and blood was different. She tightened her grip on Mae, slowly rocking her back and forth until the latter calmed down.

“I’m sorry,” Mae said, letting out an embarrassed laugh. “It’s been...a strange couple of days.” 

“Hey, it’s alright. I'm not going to lie, it’s been strange for me too.” Kara offered a reassuring smile. “But I promise you, everything will be alright. Now, we should get ready for bed. We have a long day tomorrow.” Kara turned and headed into the bedroom to change. Mae furrowed her brow, wondering what the blonde was talking about before she remembered the L-Corp and Star City press conference was being held tomorrow. The butterflies in her stomach increased tenfold upon that realization. She knew it was a big day in Kara’s history, as well as another certain person’s history. As Mae distracted herself from the thought by fiddling with the pillows on the couch, Kara returned wearing an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants and carrying another pair in her hands for Mae. 

“You aren’t thinking about sleeping on the couch, are you?” 

Mae looked up, almost surprised at the tone Kara used. 

“No. I will take the couch. You take the bed.” 

“I don’t mind, really. It’s fine.” 

Kara frowned, her trademark crinkle forming in between her eyes. “Are you sure?” 

“I’m sure.” Mae smiled as she took the clothes out of the blonde’s arms and went to the bathroom to change. The clothes fit her perfectly as she and Kara are about the same size. When she got back, Kara was placing a large blue blanket over the couch. Mae stopped in her tracks, several memories of the blonde making up her bed and tucking her in when she was a child flooding back to her. Rao, she missed her family. She knew that they were right here in front of her, but they were strangers to her as she was a stranger to them. It hurt her heart and made her want to cry, but she had cried enough that evening, so she swallowed her sadness and made her way over to the couch. 

“It’s not much, but I want you to be comfortable.” Kara smiled as Mae approached her. The younger girl smiled, pulling Kara into a bone-crushing hug. The blonde hugged her back, and Mae thought she was going to fall apart again. But before that could happen, Kara pulled back, wished her a good night, and headed into her bedroom. Mae settled in on the couch, pulling the blanket up to her chin. It was very soft and warm, smelling of honey and mint. It was quite soothing, actually. Mae stared at the ceiling as she listened to the controlled breaths of Kara in the next room, to the steady beat of her heart. Mae smiled to herself. Maybe this situation wasn’t so bad after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alex and Kara talk about Lena (and Kara's feelings for the CEO), Kara and Mae bond some more, and shit gets real at the L-Corp/Star City press conference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all ready for this?

Kara awoke the next morning feeling better rested than she has been the last few weeks. She sat up and stretched, the sun shining through the window upon her bed. She kicked off the covers and walked into the kitchen, hoping to find something that she could make for herself and Mae for breakfast. The girl was still sleeping on the couch, or rather, above the couch as she was hovering, with only the top half of her head visible from underneath the blanket. Kara smiled; she’s done that on more than one occasion. Luckily, no one else besides Alex has seen her do that. Well, her and Mon-El. Kara bit back the tears that she knew were coming and walked over to the fridge. The break-up was still fresh in her mind and her heart and it hurt like hell to think about, even though it happened a couple months ago. Kara exhaled and clutched the necklace she wore around her neck, her mother’s necklace, deciding she was no longer going to dwell on it or him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Kara rushed over and opened it to find Alex standing there with a bag of donuts in one hand and a large bag in the other.

“You are the best. Have I ever told you you’re the best?”

“Not enough,” Alex chuckled.

Alex walked in and the two women sat at the table. Kara got out plates and Alex set a donut on each plate.

“I remember the first time I saw you do that,” Alex nodded her head at Mae. “It freaked me the fuck out. I thought I was in The Exorcist for a good five minutes.”

Kara laughed. “I remember. I also remember that I fell and landed on the floor because you were screaming so loud. Eliza and Jeremiah were not happy, to say the least.”

“Don’t remind me. I think I’m still partially deaf from Mom yelling at me about that.”

Both women laughed and ate their donuts, bringing up memories of when Kara first came to Earth. Kara was in tears by the end, Alex red in the face.

“And to think that I thought you were the worst thing to ever happen to me,” Alex said, smiling softly at her sister. “I’m glad that’s not the case anymore.”

Kara grinned, her cheeks now turning red. “Me too.”

Alex took her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “So how was lunch with Lena?” Her conversation with Mae the other day just came back to her, and Alex was trying to hide her smile with her donut.

“It was good,” Kara said. “She’s really excited about opening a branch in Star City. She’s put so much time and effort into making this dream, for lack of a better word, a reality. And I couldn’t be more proud of her or happy for her.”

Alex smirked. “Is that so?”

Kara narrowed her eyes, all too aware of the look Alex was giving her. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” Alex shrugged. “You just seem to care about Lena a lot.”

Kara scoffed. “Of course I do. She’s my best friend, why wouldn’t I care about her?”

Alex put her hands up. “Alright, alright. I’m just saying that there might be something else there…”

Kara furrowed her brow, the crinkle making its return between her eyes. Alex groaned. How could her sister be so fucking clueless?

“God, Kara! Do I have to spell it out for you? You totally have the hots for Lena!”

Kara’s eyes went wide and her face turned a cherry tomato red. “What…I…um…uh…”

Alex laughed. “Kara, sweetie. It’s okay. Remember to breathe.”

Kara took a deep breath, her heart pounding recklessly within her chest. She knew that she was fond of Lena and admired her greatly and wanted to hold her and protect her from all the evil in the world, but…oh fuck, she did have a crush on Lena. She runs a hand through her hair, avoiding Alex’s gaze.

“Oh Rao, Alex,” Kara nearly cried out. “What am I doing to do?”

Alex rounded the table and wrapped her baby sister in a big hug, Kara trying desperately to hold her tears back as she buried her face into her sister’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay, Kara.”

“But what if it’s not?” Kara lets go of Alex and takes a few steps back. “I mean, what if I pursue this…feeling that I have and she doesn’t feel the same way? What if I ruin our friendship because of a stupid crush?”

Alex takes a step towards her sister, her hard brown eyes meeting Kara’s soft blue ones. “First off, you need to pull yourself together and take a deep breath or two. Second, you will not ruin your friendship if you confess. I mean, look at how Maggie and I turned out. Which ties into my third point. Kara, have you seen the way Lena Luthor looks at you? I mean, really seen?”

Kara stared at Alex. Why was this so important to her? Like many of her friends when Kara first befriended Lena, Alex was hesitant to trust the Luthor woman. But Alex trusted Kara, and if Kara trusted Lena, then the agent did as well, at least to a certain extent. But Kara shakes her head.

“Even if you’re right, I don’t think I’m ready for another relationship just yet. And after everything that’s happened with Mon-El…”

Alex quickly interrupted her. “Look, I know you cared for the guy, but he obviously didn’t care about you. Otherwise, he would still be here.”

Kara glared at Alex, quickly walking past her to go back into her room, but Alex grabs onto her arm. “I know these past few months haven’t been particularly easy for you regarding matters of the heart. But you do deserve to be loved Kara, but by the right person.” She stands directly in front of Kara. “I’ve seen the way Lena looks at you. It’s the same way I look at Maggie whenever she enters a room. And you look at her the same way.” Alex places her hands on Kara’s shoulders. “I may not trust her or know her as much as you do, but I do know what love looks like. And it’s written on both of your faces. I just want to see you happy, Kara, and I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re talking about Lena.”

Alex pulls Kara into another hug and Kara cries once again, her tears staining Alex’s shirt, but Alex didn’t mind. She squeezed her sister tighter as the cries became harder, stroking the back of Kara’s hair and telling her that it’s going to be okay. Alex looks up to see Mae floating back down and sitting up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

It _was_ going to be okay.

“Is everything alright?” Mae asked, swinging her legs off the couch and hurrying over to where Alex and Kara were standing. “Did something happen?”

Alex let go of Kara, who was rapidly trying to dry her eyes. “Yeah, everything’s fined,” she sniffed. “How…how did you sleep?”

Mae folded her arms across her chest. “Pretty good. You sure everything’s alright?”

Kara nodded, giving a reassuring smile to her daughter.

“Ooh! I almost forgot!” Alex headed back into the kitchen and emerged with the black bag from earlier. “Thought you might want this back, considering there’s a possible chance you might need it today.”

Mae opened the bag up and pulled out a red hoodie, a smile spreading across her face.

“Finally!”

She hurried into the bathroom to change, and Kara couldn’t help but stare at her as she went. She had seen that look of excitement before, on a certain CEO’s face…

Before she could think on it any longer, Alex tapped her on the shoulder.

“Come on. We got a press conference to get to.”

\-----------------------

Kara and Mae made their way towards the stage. There were several people already outside the L-Corp building, most of them reporters and camera crews, but a few civilians had managed to turn up. Kara saw some of her coworkers from CatCo, some reporters from other National City news stations, as well as a few others she could only assume to be from the Star City Tribunal. She looked over at Mae, who was peering over her glasses and scanning the area.

“See anything?”

Mae shook her head. “Nothing.”

“ _We don’t see anything either. Keep your eyes peeled, ladies._ ”

Kara noticed that Mae was tense, and it made her worry. “You expecting something to happen?”

Mae didn’t respond. She continued to look around the area, no doubt using her super-hearing. Mae was shifting uncomfortably, so Kara placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and brought her in close. “I’m under the impression that I told you a lot of stories about what happens at most L-Corp press conferences.”

She saw Mae smile at that. “Yeah, you did. I was surprised that she kept holding them considering that she was almost killed every time she did.”

Kara’s heart did a somersault, knowing how true that statement was. The first time Kara attended an L-Corp press conference was the name-changing ceremony, where Lena was almost shot by Corben, who was later turned into Metallo.

“Does Kryptonite affect you the same way it affects me?” Kara asked, her thoughts dwelling on her first fight with the cyborg. Mae slowly nodded. Kara pulled her in closer for a side-hug, several emotions swirling within her at once.

“I’m sorry.”

Mae looked up at her. “Why are you sorry?”

Kara met the girl’s eyes, not knowing what to say. “Am I a good mom?” Her voice was barely audible.

Mae looks at her incredulously. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Kara hesitated before she continued. “I never pictured myself as a mom. I was content just being Kara Danvers. I was content with being Supergirl. I didn’t think I needed anyone besides my family and friends in my life. But then you came in that jump-ship, and…I don’t know, it was like my eyes were opened. Ever since you arrived, I’ve wanted nothing more than to protect you.” She smiled slightly. “I know this may sound weird considering the circumstances and the fact that we barely know each other despite being related by blood, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am so proud of you. I always will be.”

Behind her glasses, Mae was fighting back tears. She returned Kara’s smile and leaned in for a full hug this time.

“You’re an _amazing_ mom,” she whispered into Kara’s shoulder, who was also fighting back tears. The sounds of clapping brought them back to reality.

“It’s starting,” Mae says, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Kara does the same and looks on with pride as Lena takes the stage, a wide smile spread across the CEO’s face as her eyes meet Kara’s. Lena starts speaking, voicing her greetings and her excitement for today’s event. Kara never took her eyes off Lena and took in her every move, from the way she smiled to the way her hands moved when she spoke. The conversation between her and Alex replayed in her head, and Kara sucked in a breath. There was definitely some truth to what Alex had said about Lena, and how Kara felt about her. Ever since they met, Kara had been captivated by the woman, had felt inspired by her for wanting to get out of her family’s shadow and turn her company into a force for good. Kara let out a small laugh. She was in love with Lena Luthor.

Once Lena had finished making her speech, another took the podium to begin speaking; a tall man with dirty blonde hair and thick eyebrows that Kara learned was Star City’s mayor, Oliver Queen. She had met his doppelganger back on Earth One. He was a brooding fellow who always put his duty first, but he came around eventually. This Oliver seemed to enjoy his job as mayor, which made Kara laugh. Kara turned to look at Mae. The girl was staring at Lena with a look of what Kara interpreted as a mixture of disbelief and awe in her eyes. She wondered why that was when it suddenly clicked for her. The way Lena and Mae both smile. How they both carry themselves. How they both look.

It all made sense now.

_Oh Rao._

Kara wasn’t even paying attention to Oliver’s speech anymore. Too many thoughts were swirling in her head at once. Not only was Mae Kara’s daughter, but also _Lena’s?_ How was that even possible? She didn’t have much time to think about it when the first explosion went off. The crowd started to break off in all directions as another one went off. Kara looked at Mae. The girl’s eyes were wide with panic, but she gave Kara a quick nod.

“Go find Lena. I’ll find whoever’s setting off the bombs.” With that, she whipped her glasses off and started running towards the danger.

“Mae!” Kara shouted behind her. She quickly ripped out of her reporter’s outfit, revealing her Supergirl suit, and flew towards the stage. Oliver and a few other officials were quickly descending the stairs and being led away from the attack, taking a detour behind the stage. The backdrop of stage was sent tumbling down after being rocked by another explosion, almost crushing the mayor and his crew. Luckily, Supergirl caught it just in time, setting it down on the stage. She turned to Oliver, whose mouth was practically hitting the street.

“You…you…you can fly?”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Of course I can fly. Where’s Lena?”

Oliver shook his head. Kara took a step towards him, her heart pounding in her ears. “ _Where’s Lena?_ ”

Before Oliver could answer, she heard a familiar scream coming from her left.

_Lena._

She helped Oliver and his men get to safety before rushing to go save Lena. Kara saw her being dragged by masked men with guns down the sidewalk. She recognized them immediately.

Cadmus. It was only a matter of time before they showed themselves again, and what better opportunity than a press conference. Kara tore through the sky after them, landing in front of them with such force that she cracked the sidewalk.

“Let her go,” she demanded.

“You don’t scare us, freak!” The man holding Lena screamed at her, ordering his men to fire their weapons. Luckily, the bullets weren’t Kryptonite bullets, so they bounced off Kara as she made her way towards the group. She disarmed each one and knocked each of them out, saving a good old knuckle sandwich for the one holding Lena.

“Are you okay?” Lena nodded vehemently as Kara looked over her, making sure there were no injuries. The cock of a gun made Kara spin around. Another masked man was holding a gun and pointing it directly at Lena. Kara quickly stood in front of her.

“Stand down. You don’t have to do this.”

The man let out a loud cackle that sent shivers down Kara’s spine. She grabbed Lena’s hand and held her closer to her, the CEO putting a hand on the Kryptonian’s bicep. The man took a step closer, and Kara got a good look of what she could see of his face. There were wrinkles around his yellow eyes, and his skin seemed to match the color magenta. Kara furrowed her brow. An alien working for Cadmus? It didn’t make any sense.

“Not only do I have to,” the man said, “but I want to.” He aimed the gun higher so it met Kara’s eyes. “You both have caused me so much pain. And now…it ends here.”

Before he could pull the trigger, the gun was yanked out of his hands by an invisible force. Perplexed, the man looked up, Kara and Lena following his gaze.

Mae was floating above them, sporting her red hood with the House of El crest on her chest, the gun now in her hands and her heat vision locked and loaded. “Remember me?”

The man screamed in fury. “Impossible!”

Mae used her heat vision against the man, who turned and ran before flying himself, a trail of yellow light left behind him. She landed next to Kara and Lena, the latter of which looked pretty shaken. “Are y’all alright?”

The women stared at Mae in bewilderment. Kara couldn’t believe what she just saw. Her daughter just took the gun out of the man’s hand without using her hands! She knew that ability wasn’t part of the Kryptonian power set, so Mae couldn’t have gotten it from her. What else was she hiding?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena tries to find out more about Mae while Mae spills the beans about how she got her special power to the Danvers sisters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BACKSTORY BACKSTORY BACKSTORY BACKSTORY! It gets a little Stranger Things-esque towards the end.
> 
> Also for those of you who want to know, I based Mae's costume off of this (the Supergirl on the far right) https://www.pinterest.com/pin/358739926558469907/

“Is everyone alright?”

Alex rushed over to where Kara and Mae were standing, holstering her gun and wrapping the former in a hug. Kara glanced over her shoulder to look at Lena. She was in an ambulance getting checked out along with Oliver and a few others while the police and some DEO agents questioned them and canvased the scene of the crime. Kara let go of Alex and walked over to Lena as the officer questioning her wrapped up and went to another victim.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I was going to ask if you are okay, but that seems like a stupid question now.”

Lena huffed. “Yeah, a little, I guess.” She frowned and looked down at the ground, which made Kara’s heart break. Kara wanted nothing more than to wrap Lena in her arms and take her far away. Away from National City, away from Cadmus, away from everything. The woman had gone through enough trauma in her life, and Kara wanted to give her a reprieve. To keep her safe and make sure she was happy. Before she could say anything else, however, Alex walked over.

“Hey. You okay?”

Lena looked up. “Agent Danvers. Yes, I’m-I’m fine. About as fine as I can be anyhow.”

Alex frowned. “Do you know why Cadmus would attack your press conference?”

Lena shook her head. She looked exhausted from the events that happened, both physically and mentally. “Honestly, Agent Danvers, I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine at this point.”

Alex nodded, turning back to Kara.

“Meet me back at the DEO as soon as you can,” she whispered into the blonde’s ear. Kara gave her a quick nod before she walked away with Mae. She turned back to Lena, her arms over her chest.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

Lena met her gaze. Kara caught her breath at the sight of those emerald green eyes. She had looked into those eyes plenty of times, seeing kindness, fun, and passion, but now she just sees pain and sadness. It made Kara want to throw Lillian Luthor into space.

“Do you know if Kara is okay?”

Kara blinked. “I…uh…I don’t know. I’m sure she is. She’s tougher than she looks.”

Lena half-smiled, the pain in her eyes more evident now. “Yes, she is. I just…I invited her here today and I don’t know what I would do if she got hurt.” Tears were starting to pool in Lena’s eyes, something that rarely ever happened. In all the time that Kara has known Lena, she had never seen the woman cry, either as Kara Danvers or Supergirl. It made resisting hugging Lena that much harder.

“I can go check on her, if you want.”

Lena smiled fully. “Thank you, Supergirl. That would mean a lot to me. And thank you for your help today. You saved everybody here.”

Kara returned her smile. “I didn’t do it alone.”

“I know. I saw your sidekick. What she did was…incredible.”

Kara stared at Lena. “She’s not my sidekick.”

“Then who is she?”

Kara shuffled from slippered foot to slippered foot. “I’ll go find Kara,” she said before taking off. Kara did not know how to tell Lena about Mae without slipping up. She was a very bad liar, everybody knew that, but the fact that Lena still didn’t know who she was when she said she flew to Lena’s office on a bus perplexed Kara to this day, so that gave her a little hope. However, she didn’t know how Lena would react to finding out who Mae _really_ is. Kara hoped she wouldn’t have to.

She flew back over to Lena after she changed back into Kara Danvers, landing behind a building near the attack site.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly as Lena stood up to hug her. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay? Are _you_ okay?” Lena looked over Kara’s face and body. “I didn’t see you at all during the attack or here after. I thought that…” Lena paused, looking down at her feet. Kara took on of her hands in her own and squeezed it.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. That’s all that matters.” She brought Lena in for another hug, wanting to keep Lena in her arms forever.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had gotten hurt. Or worse.” Lena closed her eyes and shook her head. “It would’ve been my fault. I invited you here, and if you had gotten hurt, I would’ve never forgiven myself.”

“Lena, no,” Kara started, placing a hand on Lena’s shoulder. “None of this is your fault. Besides, I still would’ve come even if you didn’t invite me.”

“As a reporter?”

“As a friend.”

Both women smiled. Kara listened to Lena’s heart as it pumped faster. She wondered if Lena could hear hers do the same.

“That means a lot to me, Kara,” Lena smiled, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. “What did I do to deserve a friend like you?”

Kara grinned, flustered at Lena’s words. “That’s…that’s weird, I was about to ask you the same thing.”

They both smiled and laughed, cheeks turning red as Kara fiddled with her glasses. Lena broke the silence. “Did you see the other girl flying around with Supergirl?”

Kara looked up. “I caught a quick glimpse of her, yeah. The one in the hood?”

“Yes, that one. She saved my life and Supergirl’s. I asked Supergirl who she was, but she left before I could get an answer.” Lena bit her lip. “I have my suspicions though.”

Kara’s heart skipped a beat. “You do?”

Lena nodded. “I think she’s another Kryptonian, and that she’s related to Supergirl. I saw the ‘S’ on her chest when she landed.”

Kara couldn’t breathe for a moment. _Fuck, if she only knew how right she was_. “That’s a very good guess,” Kara said, the words managing to come out less strained than she thought. “But I don’t…” Kara glanced down at her phone, pretending to check the time. “I should probably get back to CatCo, but do you want me to come over later and we can talk?”

“I would like that very much, actually.”

Kara beamed. “Well then, I will see you tonight.”

“See you tonight.”

Kara walked back behind the building to change back into her Supergirl outfit and flew up into the sky and towards the DEO, the thought of hanging out with Lena tonight overshadowed by the thought of the conversation she was going to have with her daughter.

\----------------------

She landed on the balcony entrance, asking the closest agent where her sister was. He said that she was in the training room, so Kara thanked him and headed down there. When she entered the room, she didn’t find Alex, but saw Mae throwing punches at a large cinder block. She was still wearing her suit and her hood was still up, reminding Kara of Thea Queen, Oliver’s younger sister. The scene with the mystery alien and the gun replayed in Kara’s mind. She stormed over to Mae. She was going to get answers and she was going to get answers _now_.

“So,” Kara started, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You want to tell me how you pulled off that little stunt?”

Mae stopped punching and turned to look at Kara, a look of what appeared to be shame in her blue eyes.

“I know that moving things with your mind is not part of the Kryptonian power set, so how are you able to do it?” Kara glared at Mae, who still didn’t answer. “Are you even Kryptonian? Was everything you told me, everything you told Alex, a lie?”

Mae swallowed nervously, not breaking away from Kara’s icy glare. Before she could answer, Alex walked into the room.

“We were waiting for you to get back,” she said, noticing the obvious tension between the two aliens. “She wanted to tell us both in person.”

Mae nodded as she lowered her hood. She headed over to the bench, Kara and Alex sitting on either side of her. Mae folded her hands in her lap before she began to speak.

“Everything I’ve told you so far has been the truth. I am half-Kryptonian, I do possess all of the powers that come with being one, and I am Kara’s daughter.” She paused. “But I do have telekinesis, as you both have seen.”

Kara and Alex looked at each other. “You knew?” Kara asked Alex.

“I tried to tell you about the phone incident the other night, remember?” Alex responded. “How did you know?”

“She pulled a gun out of an alien’s hand while she was still up in the air.” Kara said, turning back to Mae. “Do you know who that was? You seemed to know each other.”

“I’ll explain that too,” Mae said. “But one thing at a time.”

Kara and Alex nodded, prompting Mae to continue.

“About a year ago, I was on a mission with some of the members of Young Justice. Cadmus was wreaking havoc on National City, and we were sent to put a stop to the attacks.”

“Wait, Cadmus is still around in the future?” Kara’s heart sank. Looks like Cadmus won’t be so easy to defeat after all.

“I’m afraid so,” Mae said. “And they are as strong as they are today. There were a few times when I was afraid that we wouldn’t win, and this time was one of those times.” She took a deep breath. “During the fight, I was shot with a Kryptonite bullet while I was up in the air. I fell hard and became unconscious. When I woke up, I was strapped down to a table in a dark room, a gas mask over my face, and there were a couple of red lamps hanging over me. My head and shoulder were throbbing and I could feel the strength being sucked out of my body.”

Kara gritted her teeth. Red sun-lamps. She hated those things.

“Someone walked in a few minutes later, pushing a cart full of needles and knives and all this other medical equipment. He was followed by an older woman whose eyes were as cold and dark as her smile. I recognized her immediately. Lillian Luthor.”

Kara’s eyes widened as Mae continued. “I remember her asking the man ‘Is she ready?’ He nodded as he pulled a medical mask over his face and got a drill, turning my head and pointing it behind my ear. The next thing I knew, I passed out.”

Kara drew in a sharp breath, her hands curling into fists. Tears were starting to form in Mae’s eyes.

“I didn’t know how long I was out, I just knew the next time I woke up, I was in a different room and the right side of my head was in excruciating pain. The lights turned on and a man entered the room. He was bald and had the same cold look as his mother.”

_Lex._

“He placed a soda can in front of me and told me to crush it without using my hands or body. I was so angry that I tried to attack him, but…something like a shock in my brain sent me to the ground. It reverberated in my head and it hurt like hell. I turned up to look at him and saw a tiny remote in his hand. He asked me again to crush the can, but I didn’t understand what he meant, so he shocked me again. I didn’t know how he was doing it. This happened for several hours give or take before I couldn’t take it anymore. I screamed, which sent him flying against the wall. I didn’t know how I did that, but I remember seeing him smile before I passed out. This became a routine for days, weeks…I’m not sure.”

Alex’s face was contorted with worry while Kara’s was filled with anger. How could this have happened?

“I was close to breaking when I was finally rescued. I remember waking up in the DEO, everything hurting. You both were there, and my team was there too. And Lena.”

Kara looked up at this. Mae met her gaze. “You must know by now.” Kara didn’t know how to respond, so Mae continued with her story.

“It took me a few weeks to fully recover, and a few more weeks to get used to my new power. I have got it under control for the most part, but when I get really emotional, like sad or angry or scared, I lose control.”

The women were silent for a long time. “Do you know why Lex did this to you?” Alex broke the silence.

“J’onn guessed that he wanted to have an alien on Cadmus’ side to feed into the mindset that aliens were the bad guys. I think that was what the controlled shocks were for. Not only for punishment, but for breaking me, so he could mold me into whatever he wanted.” Mae spat out the last words with venom, struggling to hold back her tears. Kara was crying now, tears streaming down her face. She enveloped Mae in a hug and rocked her back and forth, apologizing for everything that happened to her.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Mae whispered into Kara’s shoulder. “You were the one who saved me after all.”

“I swear to you that nothing like this will ever happen to you again.”

Alex joined in on the hug, rubbing Mae’s back and telling her that everything was going to be okay. The three women stayed like that for the better part of an hour, Kara never letting go of Mae. She swore to her daughter and to herself that she would do everything in her power to protect Mae.

And that Cadmus was going to pay for what they did to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the comics, Matrix's main power was telekinesis and she was also an AI made by Lex Luthor, but I couldn't find out how she got telekinesis. Obviously, I took a different route with Mae's character, but I still wanted her to have the telekinesis because who doesn't want telekinesis, am I right? Hopefully, you guys liked this chapter and please let me know if I got anything wrong and I will fix it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Mae have a fight, J'onn and Mae bond a little, and Kara gets flustered as Lena gets closer to the truth about who Mae, and Kara, really are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your kudos and comments. You have no idea how much they mean to me, so thank you. I'm honestly just making this up as I go along, but I'm glad that you all are enjoying it. I still don't know how long this will be, so be on the lookout for more chapters coming your way :D

The next several hours were a whirlwind for Supergirl and the rest of the DEO as they tried to track down Cadmus. After hearing about what they did to Mae, Kara refused to let her go out, intent on keeping her promise to keep her daughter safe.

“But I can help!” Mae protested, storming after Kara.

“Absolutely not,” Kara replied curtly, rounding on Mae. “You are staying here where J’onn and Winn can keep an eye on you.”

“I am not a child, I am eighteen years old. I’ve gone on missions like this with you before.”

“Yeah, well, not tonight. You’ll stay here where it’s safe.”

“I won’t fight them. I’ll just help locate them, and then I’ll come back to the DEO.”

“No. It’s too dangerous. Sinestro knows who you are and will have told Cadmus about you by now, if they didn’t already know. I’m sure pictures from the attack have been posted, so they’ll be expecting you.”

“He knows who you are too, which is all the more reason I should go. I know how to fight Lanterns. You don’t. Not yet anyway.”

Mae had told Kara that the alien who tried to kill Lena was called Sinestro, an alien from the planet Korugar and a former member of the Green Lantern Corps. He is currently a member of the Yellow Lantern Corps and has had several run-ins with the DEO and Young Justice.

“Why did he try to kill Lena though?” Alex had asked during the debriefing with Kara, J’onn, and Winn.

Mae hesitated, all eyes on her. “Lena…comes to work for the DEO later on down the line and has thwarted Sinestro on many occasions. She was the one who stopped him when he went rogue, and has vowed his revenge ever since.”

Kara’s heart had skipped a beat. Now Lena was in danger too. “How did he get here?”

“On the jump-ship. My team and I caught him trying to steal a time-ship, but he got away in the jump-ship. Being the only member present that could fly, I went after him just as the ship took off. We had a fight and it resulted in Sinestro being flung out of the ship and the ship crashing in your time. I didn’t think he made it here.” Mae folded her arms across her chest, a crinkle forming in between her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should’ve made sure that he was here before doing anything else.”

Kara placed a hand on Mae’s shoulder. “You did all that you could. It was very brave of you to go after him. We’ll take care of it from here.”

That’s when the arguing started.

“We aren’t discussing this anymore, Mae. You’re staying here. That’s my final word.” Before Mae could retort, Kara was up in the sky, flying around the city at double speed. Mae let out an annoyed huff. This reminded her of the time she became Matrix. At first, Kara was excited at the thought of her daughter following in her footsteps. But after Mae was injured during a nasty fight with Metallo, Kara had reconsidered her stance. Mae was adamant about helping others though (“Stubborn as her mother,” Alex had said), so Kara agreed to let her continue. That was when she gave Mae the necklace.

“My mother gave this to me when I left Krypton,” she had said. “She said it would keep me safe and be something to remember her by. And now, I’m giving it to you. I’ll be with you no matter where you are, no matter who you’re facing, no matter what you’re doing. I will always be here for you and I will always protect you. I promise.”

Mae enclosed a hand around the blue crystal, tears starting to form in her eyes. She missed her parents deeply. She missed her team. She missed her girlfriend, Cassie. Rao, she missed Cassie. Mae looked up at the sky, watching Kara fly around the city looking for Cadmus. Alex was out there too with a team of agents for backup in case Kara found something. Mae’s hands started to fidget. She should be out there with them. She could easily make a couple rounds of the city and make it back before anyone noticed she was gone.

“Aren’t thinking about leaving, are we?”

A deep voice snapped Mae out of her thoughts. J’onn was right beside her, looking up at the sky as she was.

“Thought you couldn’t read my mind.”

“I can’t,” J’onn agreed. “But I’ve seen Supergirl stand out here one too many times to know what’s going through your mind.”

Mae sighed. “I don’t understand why they won’t let me help. I know they’ve faced Cadmus many times. They haven’t faced Sinestro. I have.”

J’onn nodded. “I know. Supergirl told me what happened at the press conference.” He turned to look at Mae. “I know it may not seem like it now, but she is trying to protect you. Gods know I’ve done tried that with her and Alex on several occasions.”

Mae huffed. “And how did that work out?”

“Not very well, I admit.”

They both laughed, looking back up at the sky.

“I miss them,” Mae said after a while. “I mean, I know they are all here, and you’re here, but…it’s not the same.”

J’onn placed a hand on Mae’s shoulder. “We’re doing everything we can to help you get back. Agent Schott is pulling out every stop to get the ship’s communications up and running again.”

Mae smiled. “Thank you, J’onn.”

J’onn smiled back. “And just so you know, no matter what time you end up in, we will always be your family.”

The next thing J’onn knew, he was being enveloped in a hug. He smiled, reciprocating the hug. “I’ve got you,” he whispered.

They all did.

\-----------------------

Lena unlocked the door to her apartment, kicking off her heels as soon as she walked in. It had been a crazy 12 hours trying to do damage control after the fiasco that was the press conference earlier today. Thankfully, Mayor Queen was gracious enough to continue as planned, and construction for the Star City branch of L-Corp would begin as soon as possible. That was one less thing to worry about. Lena still had her mother to worry about and whatever she was planning couldn’t be good. Why would Cadmus attack her press conference though? And why would they try to take her? Lena would never understand her mother’s motivations, or her brother’s for that matter. Thankfully Supergirl was there to stop them. Her and the girl in the red hood.

Lena quickly changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants before pulling out her laptop. In a few seconds, she found pictures of the press conference and the attack already posted on CatCo’s website. That magazine wasted no time, even when Cat Grant wasn’t there. She scrolled down until she saw the few pictures that captured the attack. Supergirl was in a lot of them, as she usually was. The magazine was the one who “discovered” her, after all. She didn’t see anything written by Kara, which made her kind of worried.

Lena kept scrolling until she found pictures with the girl in the hood in them. Most of them were of her back, so she couldn’t see her face. That was until the last picture: a full frontal of the mystery girl. Lena suspected that the girl was Kryptonian; she was wearing the ‘S’ on her chest, after all. Why else would she wear it? She also saw how the girl interacted with Supergirl as if they did know each other. As if they cared for each other. But how? Too many questions and not enough answers.

Lena looked closer at the picture. The girl had black hair that was tied into a side braid and her skin was very fair. There wasn’t a scratch on it, not even a freckle. Her hood was pulled up, but Lena could see that the girl’s eyes were an intense ocean blue. She leaned in closer to the screen. What was it with Kryptonians having gorgeous blue eyes? Upon further inspection, Lena noticed a slight crinkle in the middle of the girl’s eyes. She had seen that crinkle before on a certain Kryptonian…and a certain journalist…

A knock on the door startled her. She closed her laptop and went to open the door. Kara was standing on the other side, smiling but looking red in the face.

“Hey, Lena.”

“Hey, Kara.” Lena let Kara in before she closed the door. “Is everything alright? You look a little flustered?”

“Hmm? Oh no, everything’s fine. Everything is…fine.”

Lena furrowed her brow. “Kara. What’s wrong?”

Lena knew that Kara was a terrible liar, especially when it came to the people she cared about. At least, that’s what Alex said. Lena still couldn’t believed that Kara cared about her. The feeling was mutual in that regard.

“Ah,” Kara sighed. “It’s nothing really. Just…family issues.”

Lena arched an eyebrow. “Are you and Alex fighting?”

Kara adjusted her glasses, her face getting redder with each breath she took. “Not exactly…I’m sorry, it’s just been a long day and I’m being rude. I came here to see if you were alright and I’m letting my problems get in the way of that.”

Lena laughed. “Kara, sweetie, it’s alright. From the looks of it, we both have had a rough day. Come and sit. I’ll pour some wine.”

Kara dumped her bag by the couch as she sank down into its cushions. Lena got out two wine glasses and poured a significant amount into each glass, handing one to Kara as she sat down next to her.

“I’ve been doing some research,” Lena said after a while, “on the girl in the red hood.”

Kara choked on her wine. “R-Really? Have you found out anything?”

“Not exactly, no. But I do know that she is Kryptonian. Why else would you sport the ‘S’ if you weren’t from Krypton?”

“The ‘S’ is actually the crest of the House of El. It means ‘Stronger Together’,” Kara stated, her cheeks going red at the sight of Lena’s quizzical expression. “She could be wearing it for moral support, though.”

“How do you know what the ‘S’ stands for?”

“I…uh…” Kara stammered, struggling to find her words. “My sister works with Supergirl on a daily basis, and I’ve talked with her a few times, so that’s how I know.” She took another sip of wine before the rambling got worse.

Lena smirked. “You are a terrible liar, Kara.”

Kara downed the rest of her wine, trying to avoid Lena’s gaze. “What do you mean?”

“I grew up with some of the most perceptive and deceptive people in the world, Kara. I can tell when someone’s lying to me.”

Kara swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Kara.” Lena was suddenly serious, her eyes sharp and her mouth in a hard line. Kara couldn’t decide whether she was scared or turned on by Lena. “I know.”

Kara made herself look at Lena. “Know what?”

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it before, but now that I do, I can’t un-see it.” Lena set her wine glass down on the table. “You’re Supergirl. And the girl in the red hood is somehow related to you.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara FINALLY do something about their feelings, Mae reaches her team, and Sinestro is revealed to have an ace up his sleeve.
> 
> OR 
> 
> Some fluff, some angst, and a whole lotta AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written a kissing scene before like EVER (I've also never kissed anyone IRL) so I hope I didn't fuck it up. If I did, please let me know in the comments below. Also, can we just appreciate that even though Alex would make an awesome mom, she makes a just as awesome if not awesomer aunt?? I fucking love her. 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for the delay!! I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi on Friday (it was pretty damn good!) and I have been slacking ever since. Bad Danielle! However, it did give me an idea for a Supercorp/Star Wars AU, so let me know if you want to see me write that.
> 
> Hope you guys like this addition!

Kara’s mouth went dry as she stared at Lena. So many thoughts and emotions were running through her body that she forgot how to speak. How could Lena know? How much _did_ she know? Did she know more than she was letting on?

“Lena…”

Lena held up her hand. “I’m sure you have your reasons for not telling me, Kara. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

Kara’s heart sank. “Lena, I-I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you for the longest time…”

“Then why didn’t you?”

The look Lena was giving her was worse than she could’ve ever imagined. It was full of confusion and hurt, two things that Kara never wanted to make Lena feel, and it broke her heart knowing that she did. A lump formed in her throat, not knowing what to say to make this situation any lighter.

“If you say it was to protect me, I might throw up.”

“No, Lena, no.” Kara shook her head. “That’s not it, not even close.” She rubbed her legs nervously and took a deep breath. “Ever since I came to Earth, I’ve been treated differently. My foster parents and Alex told me to hide my powers, to learn how to be human. Learn how to be Kara Danvers. And for a while, I did. When I came out as Supergirl, that all changed. I had to find a balance between my life as Supergirl and my life as Kara Danvers, and at times I still struggle to find that balance.” Kara made herself look at Lena. “But when I’m with you, I don’t have to worry about that. When I’m with you, I feel…normal. Like how I was before all of this, before I came to Earth. I can just be myself when I’m with you. And I didn’t want to lose that. I didn’t want to ruin what we have.”

Lena’s expression softened. “And what exactly do we have?”

Kara swallowed, not looking away. “A beautiful, _beautiful_ friendship. You are one of the most special and important people in my life, Lena. I care about you _so_ much. So much so that it physically hurts me.” Kara heard Lena’s heartbeat quicken, but she continued, terrified of what she was about to say. “These past few days have been absolutely crazy. The world just keeps spinning out of my control, but…” Kara took a deep breath. “When I look into your eyes, everything is clear. Everything is in order and everything makes sense. I’ve never been good at telling other people how I feel, especially when it involves someone I love.”

Lena’s eyes widened at Kara’s confession. _She loved her?_

“By ‘love’, do you mean as a friend or as…?”

Kara blushed. “Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is that you make me happy. You make me smile. You make me laugh. You make me feel important. Whenever I’m with you, I feel complete. And all I want to do is to make you feel the same. You deserve to be happy, Lena, and I would do _anything_ to make you smile.”

Lena looked down at her hands, trying to hide her tears from the blonde. Kara did feel the same as Lena did about her. She let out a laugh.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Lena looked up, wearing a teary smile on her face. “No. It’s just that I feel the same way about you.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “You do?”

“Yes. Ever since I met you, I couldn’t shake this feeling that we were destined to meet. I honestly didn’t know what to make of it, but I am grateful that it led to the single greatest friendship I’ve ever had in my life. Lately, I have been feeling something more when it came to you. I don’t know how to explain it, only that whenever you entered a room, it was as if the light had returned into my life. I pushed those feelings to the side because I was scared and I thought you didn’t feel the same way. But now that I know that you do, these feelings have returned tenfold and I don’t know what to do about them.”

Tears were running down Lena’s cheeks and were pooling in Kara’s eyes. The blonde closed the distance between them and wrapped up Lena in the biggest hug she had ever given. Both women were crying into each other’s shoulders, tears staining their shirts. Kara couldn’t believe that Lena felt the same way. It made her excited, happy, terrified, and relieved all at the same time. She couldn’t help but smile as she hugged Lena even tighter.

“Kara.”

Kara backed out of the hug just a little to look at Lena’s face, her emerald eyes filled with hope.

“Can I…is it alright if I kiss you?”

Kara’s heart almost stops. She looked down at her lips and back up to her eyes, a smile spreading across her face.

“I would like nothing more.”

Kara cupped Lena’s face with her hand, pulling her towards her until their lips meet.

Lena’s lips were incredibly soft, softer than what Kara had previously thought. She moved her hand to the back of Lena’s head, deepening the kiss. Lena does the same, her hand running through Kara’s golden curls before resting gently on her back. Suddenly, Lena wraps her legs around Kara’s waist as the kisses become more heated and passionate. Kara places her hands on Lena’s hips as she arches into the next kiss, her heart threatening to break through her chest and run around the room at full speed. After a moment of pure bliss, Lena pulls away, but only slightly, resting her forehead on Kara’s. Kara let out a soft whimper, not wanting the sensation to end.

“Are we going too fast?” Lena breathes out, her fingers brushing over Kara’s shoulders. Kara tries to steady her breathing, her eyes locking on Lena’s as she shakes her head. She takes her glasses off and places them on the table before turning back to Lena, her nose brushing against the CEO’s.

“This is perfect,” Kara whispers as she pulls Lena into another kiss, this one much harder than the previous ones. Lena pushes Kara onto her back, melting into each kiss. Kara moans as Lena bites the bottom of her lip. She feels elated, wanting to kiss Lena more, to be with her like this forever. As Lena started make her way down Kara’s neck, a small voice in the back of her head told her that she would be.

\---------------------

“Okay. Just a few more adjustments and communications should be up and running.”

Winn was fiddling with the wires connecting to the control panel while Alex and Mae watched. He had been working non-stop for the past few days, trying every trick in the book to get the ship’s systems up and running. Unfortunately, nothing he tried worked since he knew next to nothing about time machines, but he was determined to fix this. Winn had always been a sucker for challenges, particularly when it came to something tech-related, and this was the biggest challenge he had to face yet. He had been laying in the same position for hours working up a sweat, but he was so close to victory, he could taste it. Just put a blue wire here, a green one there, wrap it around a red one, and…

“Done!”

The control panel lit up almost instantly. Winn sat up, a smile plastered onto his face even though his body ached all over. Alex and Mae got up from their seats and rushed over to him.

“Did it work?”

“Let’s find out.” Winn motioned to Mae to take over. “I don’t know who you want to contact, and I’m sure there’s a code, so…”

Mae stepped forward and punched the only code she knew into the keypad before pressing a glowing red button. “Please don’t explode, please don’t explode, please don’t explode.”

Luckily, they didn’t explode, but they did hear something through the microphone.

_“We have to…trying. She’s out…somewhere.”_

_“We’ve tried everything. If we don’t….she is, then we…find her.”_

Mae perked up, her mouth starting to grow into a smile.

It worked.

Mae pressed the blue button underneath the microphone. “Guys! Guys, it’s me! I’m here!”

Silence. Mae furrowed her brow and tried again. “This is Mae Zor-El of Young Justice requesting assistance. Do you copy?”

More silence. Alex held her breath. Mae was about to try again when she was cut off by a boy’s voice.

_“Mae? Is that you?”_

Mae grinned, a laugh escaping her throat. “Yes, Garfield, it’s me. I’m here. I’m alive.”

_“Oh thank God. We were so worried…you. We…you died.”_

Mae laughed again. “Thankfully, I didn’t, Gar. Is anyone else there with you?”

_“Yeah, yeah, Bart’s here. So is Tim…and your parents…here.”_

Mae’s eyes went wide. “My parents?” She looked at Alex before turning back to the microphone. “Can I speak to them?”

_“They were just here. I’m sorry, comm…must be faulty...But Cassie is here.”_

Alex heard Mae take in a sharp breath and her shoulders tense. “Put her on. Please,” Mae choked out.

The next few moments of silence were agonizing for Mae. Alex saw how tense and still she was, her grip on the control panel turning her knuckles white. It was a miracle that she hadn’t broken it already.

_“Mae?”_

Mae’s body relaxed as she slammed her finger on the button. “Cassie! Cass, I’m here! I’m okay.”

A faint cry echoed through the speaker. _“Thank the gods above you’re alright! Where are you?”_

“I’m in National City in the year 2017.”

_“What was that? I…catch that.”_

“I’m in National City in the year 2017. I’m at the DEO with Alex, Winn, and J’onn.”

_“Mae…breaking…repeat…”_

“Cass? Cassie!”

The console sparked and the line went dead, the silence that followed deafening. Mae grew rigid as she pressed the button one more time.

“Cassie. Cassie!”

Alex and Winn looked at each other as Mae took a few shaky breaths, her eyes shining with fresh tears.

“NO!”

She slammed her fist against the control panel, shattering the console and sending more sparks flying everywhere. Alex and Winn both flinched, their eyes wide with fear. Neither of them had seen Mae angry before, and if she was anything like her mother, Alex thought, it was going to be a long night.

“Mae,” Winn all but whispered, swallowing nervously, “it’s alright. I can fix it and we can try again.”

“There is no trying again,” Mae replied curtly. “She doesn’t know where I am. She didn’t hear me.”

Winn inched closer to Mae. “There’s still a chance she probably did.”

“She didn’t.” Mae rounded on Winn, her glare as cold as ice. “She didn’t hear me. She didn’t…”

Mae brushed past Winn’s shoulder and stormed out of the jump-ship. Alex turned to follow her as Winn was left to nurse his bruised, possibly broken shoulder.

“Mae,” Alex called. “Mae!”

The younger girl didn’t let up, walking out of the hangar and towards the main control room. Alex sprinted after her, finally reaching Mae as she headed out onto the balcony. The younger girl let out a soul-crushing cry, causing heads to turn. Alex glared at them to look away and to mind their own business as she joined Mae. She leaned against the railing and folded her arms across it, staying silent as Mae screamed. Alex didn’t want to attempt to touch the young alien or console her, not yet anyways. She tried to do that with Kara when they were younger and it did not go well for either of them.

Mae raged for the better part of half an hour, Alex confirming that Mae did get her anger issues from Kara. Once she finally calmed down, Alex decided to talk.

“Feel better?”

Mae glared at her, her eyes red and raw from crying. “What do you think?”

“I think you may be overreacting a bit.”

“A bit?” Mae spoke through gritted teeth, her hands curling into fists. “That comms system was my one ticket home, and it failed. She didn’t hear me.”

Alex moved closer to her niece. “Look at me, Mae. Look at me. Cassie might not have heard you, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying. You will go home, I promise. I know we aren’t related by blood, but you are still my niece. And I will move heaven and earth to help you get back home. Do you understand?”

Mae’s expression softened as she feebly nodded.

“Good.” Alex hugged Mae as tightly as she could. “We’ll bring you home. I promise.”

\------------------------------

Despite the halls of Cadmus being brightly lit, the air had a strong chill to it. Sinestro smiled. He thrived in the cold. He lived off of fear, the power he felt when he made strong men fall to their knees at the sight of their worst fear. And there was plenty of fear here to sustain him. Humans were fickle beings and easy to manipulate, as Sinestro found out. This organization was founded on fear: the fear of aliens, the fear of outsiders. The fear of individuals like himself. But the looks that its members gave him did not dissuade him from his mission.

He entered a darker room where weapons were being tested. While the looks didn’t bother him, some of these weapons did. He only prayed that he wouldn’t be on the receiving end of them. In the middle of the room, she was waiting. Proper and poised as if expecting her date to the ball. Sinestro smirked. How quaint.

“Can I help you with anything?”

She must have heard him coming because she didn’t turn around. Sinestro paused at her side.

“I have something that may be of use to you.”

“What could you have that I would want?”

The disgust in her voice was poorly hidden. Maybe that was the intent.

“You know the girl I told you about? The one that brought me here?”

The woman remained silent.

“I know how to stop her.”

She turned towards him when he mentioned this. “Go on.”

Sinestro held out a tiny hand-held device towards the woman. “The girl has a chip in her brain that is connected to this remote. Press the button here and it will send controlled shocks to that chip, causing her immense pain. She will be rendered useless against it.”

The woman took it and examined it in her hands. “Where did you get this?”

Sinestro coyly smiled. “I know a guy.”

“And how would this help us?”

“The girl is very important to Supergirl. The blonde cares about her a lot. Hurt the girl, and you hurt Supergirl. And, by extension, you’ll hurt your daughter too.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think I want to hurt my daughter?”

Sinestro laughed. “You said she has aligned herself with the Supers, your enemy which, in my experience, makes her an enemy as well.”

“What do you have to gain from all this?”

“Let’s just say, these Supers, these _heroes_ have caused me immense pain and embarrassment, feelings I am sure we both share. I am only trying to return the favor.”

The woman smiled. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”

Sinestro grinned as the woman tightened her hold on the device. "Of course, Mrs. Luthor."  

The plan was falling perfectly into place.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Mae finally meet and Lena finds out who Mae really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now...the moment you've all been waiting for!!!! SUPER FAMILY REUNION (sort of)

The first thing Mae did when she arrived at the DEO the next day was apologize profusely to Winn for breaking the comms system and for hurting his shoulder.

“It’s fine, Mae,” Winn replied. “It’s just a little bruised, nothing major. Don’t worry about it.”

Mae looked down guiltily. “You were just trying to help. I’m sorry for the way I reacted. It was childish and really melodramatic, and you didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of that.”

Winn smiled, placing a hand on Mae’s shoulder. “It’s alright. It’s okay to be mad. I probably would’ve reacted the same way if I was in your situation.”

Mae smiled back. “Thanks, Winn.”

“It’s nothing. I’m still going to try and help if you’ll let me.”

“Of course. And I’ll help you as well, if you’ll let me.”

“That would be greatly appreciated. By the way, have you heard from Kara at all? I haven’t been able to reach her.”

Mae shook her head. After the fiasco that was last night, she decided to crash at Alex’s place, not wanting to face the questions and the pitying looks her mother surely would’ve given her. Alex had called Kara letting her know where Mae was staying, but it went to voicemail, so both women assumed that Kara was still out on patrol. Kara hadn’t returned the call this morning either, but Alex said she was probably sleeping in as she usually does.

“I can ask Alex. Maybe she’s heard from her.”

Winn nodded, thanking Mae before returning to work. Mae went up to the lab where she knew Alex would be and sure enough, the agent was there looking at samples under a microscope.

“What you looking at?”

“Hey, kid,” Alex responded, not looking up. “Blood samples from a Hellgramite.”

Mae grimaced. She wasn’t a big fan of Hellgramites. “Have you heard from Mom yet?”

Alex sat up, placing the sample back on the tray and replacing it with a new one. “Not yet. She’s probably still sleeping. She’s not much of a morning person.”

Mae hummed her agreement. She wasn’t either, for that matter. “Do you think she might be at work?”

“If she was, she would’ve checked in here first.”

“I could go over to her place to check in on her.”

Alex turned to look at her. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“Come on, Alex. I haven’t flown in days. I’m getting antsy over here.”

Alex hesitated. “I know, I know. I’m just saying that Cadmus is still out there.”

“And Cadmus is still out there in my time. Don’t worry, Aunt Alex, I’ll be careful. I’ll hide myself in the clouds if that makes you feel better.”

Alex laughed. “It would make Kara feel better, that’s for sure. She would throw me into space if anything happened to you. Be careful, alright? Let me know when you get there and when you’re on the way back.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Mae went to change into her costume before taking off towards Kara’s building, landing in an alley a block away. She took her hood off and carried it up to Kara’s apartment. She initially wanted to go in through the window as Supergirl usually did, but it was closed and it would look too suspicious this time of day. The door was locked, as was expected, so Mae knocked.

“Kara? You in there?”

Silence. She tried again. “Kara. It’s me, Mae. Are you awake?”

More silence, so Mae decided to use her X-ray vision, scanning the apartment for any signs of life. She could easily use her super strength to get into the apartment, but she didn’t want to raise any alarms. Mae saw no one in the apartment. Almost immediately, she pulled out her phone and called Alex.

_“Hello?”_

“She’s not here.”

_“Wait, what? She’s not? How do you know?”_

“I used my X-ray vision and saw no one inside. Kara isn’t here.”

_“Okay, alright. Don’t freak out yet. I’m sure she’s alright, but I’ll have Winn trace her phone. Are you on your way back here?”_

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”

Mae raced out of the building, put her hood back on, and rocketed into the sky. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. She was worried about Kara. It was probably nothing to worry about, but still. Kara was her mother, of course she would be worried. And if anything happened to her now…Mae shuddered at the thought, not wanting to dwell on it any longer.

Mae zoomed through the sky, determined to get back to the DEO as quickly as possible. Winn would find her, that much she was sure of. Mae tried to think of all the places that Kara could be. She wasn’t at her apartment, CatCo, or the DEO, and there weren't many other places to choose from outside of those three. She could be at that alien bar, but Mae didn’t see why she would be considering Kara wasn’t the type of person to get blasted drunk for no reason. Frustrated, Mae sped on, trying not to think of the worst.

Right when she touched down on the balcony, Alex was waiting for her with her phone in her hand. “Did you find Kara?”

“Didn’t need to,” Alex replied, handing her the phone. “She just texted me. She wants you to meet her at CatCo in half an hour.”

Mae furrowed her brow. “Why?”

Alex shrugged. “Guess you’ll find out when you get there.”

\---------------------

Lena woke up to find herself snuggling with Kara in the former’s bed. Memories from the previous night came flooding back to her, a giddy smile spreading across her face. Kara felt the same way Lena did about her. Kara had kissed her. And Lena had kissed her back! She still couldn’t believe it. She turned to look at Kara, who was still sleeping, her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern. Lena gently brushed Kara’s blonde curls out of her face, her fingers lingering on her cheek. She placed a small kiss on Kara’s forehead, unable to help herself—she could do that now!—as Kara began to stir.

“Good morning, sleepy-head.”

Kara groaned, burying her head further into Lena’s shoulder. “Five more minutes.”

Lena laughed. “Kara, we got to get up. We got to go to work.”

“Nooo…later.”

Lena rolled her eyes as she disentangled herself from the blonde, only to be pulled back in by her.

“Kara, I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Kara’s eyes finally open and meet Lena’s. God, she could drown in those eyes, Lena thought. Unable to resist, Lena conceded. “Alright. But five minutes only.”

Kara squealed with delight as Lena rested her head on her shoulder. The blonde planted a sweet kiss on Lena’s forehead, causing her to smile.

“Am I dreaming?” Lena asked, turning her head up to look at Kara. “Is this real?”

Kara looked back at her. “If it is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

Lena blushed. “Who would’ve thought it? A Luthor and a Super.”

Kara busted out laughing, Lena joining in after a few moments. They looked at each other in silence for a while, each woman taking in the other, neither wanting to look away.

“You look so beautiful,” Kara whispered, placing a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear. “But then again, you always do.”

“Likewise,” Lena replied, a flicker of something quickly passing over her eyes. Kara caught it, a look of concern taking shape in her own eyes.

“Lena, what’s wrong? Is everything alright?”

Lena looked away and took a deep breath. “I’ve wanted this,” she gestured between them, “for the longest time. And now that you’re here, it feels too good to be true. And the fact that you’re Supergirl…I just can’t believe the odds.” She paused. “But that also makes me terrified. You have a target on your back, Kara, not only from Cadmus, but from others like them. I just got you, I don’t…I can’t lose you too.”

Kara closed the distance between them, her lips softly pressing against Lena’s. “Remember that promise I made you a few months ago? When I said I’m not going anywhere?” Lena nodded. “I intend to keep that promise, now and forever. I will always come back to you, Lena. Always.”

Tears began to well in Lena’s eyes, her lips trembling. “What if we can’t make this work?”

“Do you not want this to work?”

“God, Kara, I want this to work so badly. I'm just worried that it won’t.”

Kara pulled Lena closer to her, planting a kiss in her hair and rubbing her back to reassure her. To be honest, Kara was scared too. She had been in relationships before and those never turned out well, to say the least. But she felt something different with Lena. There was something here that neither of her previous relationships had, but Kara couldn’t put her finger on it. Nevertheless, she was determined to make this work with Lena. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. She knew they would make it work. In fact, there was living, breathing proof of that here in National City right now. A light bulb went off in Kara’s head as she sat up, sending the covers flying off the bed as she raced into the living room.

“Kara?” Lena asked, startled and confused. “What is it?”

 Kara grabbed her phone out of her purse, ignoring the voicemails Alex and Winn left as she texted her sister as quickly as her fingers could type, which was pretty fast. “Are you free for lunch today?”

Lena smiled. “For you? Always.”

“Great!” Kara threw on her jacket. “Because I have someone I want you to meet.”

Lena furrowed her brow. “Who is it?”

Kara leaned down and kissed Lena one more time, her lips lingering on the CEO’s for a few moments. “You’ll see. All you need to know is that this,” Kara motioned between them, “ _will_ work.” She gave Lena a wink and a quick kiss on the cheek before saying goodbye, telling Lena that she’ll see her in a few hours. Once she was outside the apartment complex, Kara raced back to her place to shower and change into a new outfit. She stopped to get some donuts on her way to CatCo, scarfing down half the box before she got to her desk. Kara was trying to relax and not think about her “lunch” with Lena in a few hours when Snapper’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Ponytail!”

Kara froze mid-bite, nearly choking on her chocolate-frosted donut. “Yes sir?”

“You better have that article on the reconstruction of National City Harbor on my desk by day’s end or you’re fired.”

So much for trying to relax. “Yes sir. Right away.”

\--------------------------

Lena sat at her desk, looking over the construction plans for the Star City branch of L-Corp. So far, they looked pretty good, so she approved them and sent them back to Mayor Queen. She poured herself a glass of red wine, her mind replaying the events of that morning over and over. Kara was unusually bubbly when she left Lena’s apartment. Not that she wasn’t usually bubbly, but Kara seemed overly optimistic this morning. Kara’s optimism was one of the things Lena loved about her, but she was worried that that would be Kara’s undoing. She didn’t want to think about that, so her thoughts shifted to what would be happening this afternoon: lunch with Kara and a mysterious stranger. Lena took a sip of her wine, wondering who this person could be. Kara seemed excited about Lena and this stranger meeting, but Lena didn’t feel the same way. A knock on her door startled her, causing her to nearly drop her wine glass.

“Ms. Luthor. Kara Danvers is here to see you.”

Lena swallowed nervously. “Thank you, Jess. Send her in.”

Kara entered the office, a large bag of take-out in her hand. Lena smiled at the familiar sight. Her smile diminished, however, when another girl followed Kara into the room.

“Hey you,” Kara greeted, setting the bag down and wrapping Lena in a hug.

“Hey yourself,” Lena replied. “I take it this is our mystery guest?”

“Yes!” Kara let go of Lena and turned around. “Lena, this is Mae.”

Lena turned to look at Mae. She was wearing a white t-shirt with jeans and a black leather jacket. Her jet-black hair cascaded past her shoulders and rested a little below her chest. She was also wearing glasses and framed ocean-blue eyes. Blue eyes that she had seen before…

“I know you,” Lena said. “You were at the press conference.”

Mae swallowed, looking exceptionally nervous from what Lena saw. “Y-yes ma’am. I-I was there.” She paused. “I’m a reporter for the Star City Tribunal and I was sent to cover the story.”

“No, not like that.” Lena took a step forward. “You’re the girl in the red hood.”

Mae’s eyes widen in horror. She looked to Kara, who looked just as surprised.

“How did you…?”

“I saw pictures of you online last night. I was curious about the girl who saved my life. Thank you, by the way. Supergirl is lucky to have you on her side.”

Mae stared at Lena, her mouth agape. She looked a lot like Kara, Lena thought, especially with the eyes. They were almost the same hue. Wait a minute…

“Kara,” Lena took a step back as she looked at the blonde, putting two and two together. “Is she…?”

Kara blushed as she looked down at her shoes.

“Yes.”

It wasn’t Kara who answered, but Mae. Lena looked at the girl, several questions running through her head. “You…look just like her.”

Mae half-smiled. “So I’ve been told.”

Lena laughed, turning back to Kara. “Did you know?”

Kara nodded.

“Well, congratulations, Kara.” Lena’s face fell, remembering what Kara had said to her this morning.

 _All you need to know is that this_ will _work._

Was that a lie to make her feel better?

“Do you know who the father is, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Kara and Mae looked at each other. Lena furrowed her brow. Something else was at play here.

“See,” Kara started, “the thing is…that…uh…”

“I don’t have a dad,” Mae finished.

“Oh,” Lena said, feeling guilty for feeling relieved. “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened to him?”

“Nothing. He never existed.”

Lena looked at the two women. Something was definitely awry here. “What do you mean by that?”

Mae took a deep breath, her eyes shining. “I mean that I have two moms instead of a mom and a dad.”

Lena felt herself tense up as she let the words sink in. She looked at Mae again, looked over her dark hair, her fair skin, everything. A thought came into her head that made her stomach do somersaults. _Is she…?_

“Are you...my daughter?”

Mae nodded, tears running down her cheeks. Lena’s eyes were welling up with tears for the second time that day. She turned to look at Kara, who was also crying.

“Told you that we would work out.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Super Family bonds for a bit before everything goes to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!! Hope y'all enjoy this chapter 'cause it's going to get a little angsty and rough after this. I apologize in advance.

Kara’s head swiveled between Lena and Mae. Both women were frozen where they stood, eyes locked on each other’s. Mae’s cheeks were stained with tears while Lena’s eyes were shining with her own. Kara’s heart was hammering against her sternum. Was this a good idea? This may not have been the best course of action to reassure Lena of their new relationship. What did she think was going to happen? Honestly, Kara didn’t know. She was too hyped up on the emotions from getting together with Lena and having Mae meet the woman. Kara didn’t even ask Mae if she was okay with meeting Lena. This was a total surprise for both of them. Rao, how could she be so stupid? She could hear both of their heartbeats race inside their chests, which made the silence surrounding them so much worse. Before Kara could say anything to make this silence a little less uncomfortable, Lena stepped forward and enveloped Mae in a hug.

“You’re more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined.”

Mae cried harder, sobbing into Lena’s shoulder as the latter squeezed her tighter. Kara could feel tears escape her eyes and run down her cheeks, a smile slowly starting to slowly spread across her face. Tears seemed to come easier these days. After a few minutes, Mae pulled back from Lena and wiped her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry,” Mae stammered. “I didn’t know how you were going to react.”

“Honestly, neither did I,” Lena replied. “It’s not everyday you get to meet your superhero daughter.”

Mae laughed, her cheeks turning a bright pink. Kara laughed as well, taking a few steps towards Lena.

“Are you okay?” she asked Lena. “You must be pretty overwhelmed at this point.”

“You think?” Lena let out a small laugh. “But…it’s a good thing.” She paused, smiling. “They say you shouldn’t know too much about your future, but seeing you both here makes me want to disagree.”

Both Kara and Mae beamed. Lena’s gaze lingered on Mae for a bit. She was as beautiful as Kara. She had the same eyes, the same smile, and Lena was sure that she had the same heart as the Kryptonian. A surge of pride swelled in Lena’s chest. She didn’t even know the girl, yet she was already so proud of her. Lena wondered if Kara felt the same way when she found out about Mae. She had so many questions to ask Mae: how she got here, what life was like in the future, how _their_ life was like, and Kara could sense that.

“Why don’t we all get more acquainted over some potstickers? I’m starving.”

“Me too,” Mae said, placing a hand over her stomach. Kara reached into the bag and pulled out a decent-sized box and handed it to Mae, who began to suck the thing dry before she even sat down. Lena watched the scene unfold in amusement. Apparently, Mae had inherited Kara’s appetite as well.

\---------------------------

The three women talked and laughed for what felt like hours. Lena had Jess reschedule her meetings that day for later that night. These were just run-of-the-mill meetings with the other board members to go over everything that’s happening inside and outside of the company, nothing too important at the moment, so they could wait. Besides, she wanted to spend more time with Kara and Mae, who she quickly found out was an amazing person. Mae was a hero in her own right, a member of a group of young heroes called Young Justice. Apparently, there were a lot of members on the team, but Mae was only close with a select few, which was the team that she normally went on missions with. Lena couldn’t help but notice that when Mae talked about Cassie, one of the members of her team, the girl seemed smitten.

“They sound like good people,” Lena said.

Mae smiled. “They are. They’re my best friends. I’d do anything for them.”

“Have you tried to make contact with them since you got here?”

Mae looked over at Kara before turning back to Lena. “I have gotten in contact with my team. We were able to fix the comms on the ship I came here on, so I got in touch with them that way.”

Kara’s eyes went wide. “Mae, that’s wonderful news! How come you didn’t tell me?”

“Because I kind of broke it,” Mae admitted sheepishly. “I tried to tell Cassie where I was, but the system was faulty, so she didn’t hear me. The line went dead and I broke the machine in a fit of rage.” Mae looked down, avoiding both Lena and Kara’s gazes.

“Mae, honey, it’s not your fault,” Lena said, reaching out to take her daughter’s hand in her own. “You were angry, and understandably so. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Kara nodded her agreement. Mae looked up to see the looks of support in both of her mothers’ eyes. She smiled, squeezing Lena’s hand. “This is why you’re the best moms in the world.” Kara and Lena laughed, the former adjusting her glasses and the latter smiling widely. Lena still couldn’t believe her luck. Not only was she now in a relationship with Kara Danvers, aka the Girl of Steel, but she had an amazing daughter with the woman. Lena had worried about her future for so long, wondering if she was ever going to be truly happy. Looking at the two gorgeous, badass women sitting before her now made her realize that she deserved to be happy. Hell, she was already happy just sitting here and talking with them. Lena wanted nothing more than for this moment to last forever.

“So, Mae,” Kara said, interrupting Lena’s thoughts. “Tell us more about Cassie.”

Ah, so Kara had noticed as well. Mae flushed a bright red, telling Lena all she needed to know about the girl.

“She means a lot to you, I’m guessing?” Lena inquired.

A smile crept onto Mae’s face. “Yeah,” she nodded. “She’s my everything.”

Kara’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Aww! Did you hear that, Lena? Our girl’s in love.”

Mae groaned. “You’re just as insufferable in this time as you are in mine.”

Lena laughed as Kara gushed over Mae’s crush. “Does she treat you well?”

“Yes ma’am. And I do the same with her.”

“Good,” Lena nodded her approval. “Only the best for my girl.”

Mae grinned at Lena and Kara. Her smile faded as she looked back down at her hands. “This is so great. I mean, it’s weird, but it’s great. Seeing you both like this, it’s just…I love you both so much.”

Lena’s heart melted, tears threatening to escape her eyes. “I love you too.”

“Same here.” Kara swooped Mae up in a bone-crushing hug, making Lena smile. “Get in here, Lena!” Rolling her eyes, Lena got out of her seat and joined Kara and Mae in their embrace. At that moment, Lena knew that this was right. That this was meant for her. She couldn’t help but smile wider.

The moment was interrupted by Kara’s phone going off. She broke apart from the hug to answer it.

“Alex? What is it? Okay, we’ll be right there.”

She hung up, her face now serious. “I’m sorry, Lena, but we have to go.”

“What is it?” Mae asked. “Is it Cadmus?”

Lena tensed up at the mention of the name. She hated that organization with a fiery passion and wanted nothing more than to see it go up in flames.

“We don’t know yet,” Kara replied, picking her bag up off the floor. “But there’s a situation downtown and it sounds pretty serious from what Alex told me, so there’s a good chance it might be.”

Mae nodded solemnly. Lena looked at Kara, taking the blonde’s hand in her own. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”

Kara smiled sadly, planting a kiss on Lena’s lips. “Always.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

Kara and Mae said goodbye to Jess as Lena walked them to the entrance of L-Corp. Almost immediately after they stepped outside, Mae stopped dead in her tracks. Kara and Lena turned around to see what was going on, their eyes widening at the sight of Mae’s face. After a few seconds, Mae let out a bloodcurdling scream and crumpled to the ground, her hands clutching her head.

Lena panicked. “What’s happening to her?”

Kara looked panicked as well. “I don’t know!”

Before either woman could move towards Mae, a blast of green light sent them flying to the ground. Lena landed on her side, the air knocked completely out of her. Her vision swam as she struggled to breathe again, and once she did, she forced herself up onto her elbows.

“Kara! Mae!”

Kara was a few feet away from her, her veins glowing a bright green. _Kryptonite_. Lena pushed herself up onto her feet and stumbled over to Kara, but a familiar, accented voice made her freeze.

“Not another move, Ms. Luthor, or you’ll find a bullet in your chest. And we don’t want that now, do we?”

Lena gritted her teeth as she turned to face Corben, who was carrying an unconscious Mae over his shoulder, a small grey device in one of his hands. A Cadmus lackey was pointing a shotgun at her, and they were standing in front of a large, black van.

“Let her go.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, love,” Corben replied. “Your mother needs her for something special.”

Lena’s hands curled into fists. “You can tell my mother to go to hell!”

Corben laughed maniacally. “Alright. I’ll pass on your message if you pass on hers.”

Lena didn’t move, her heart beating a thousand miles per hour as drops of sweat rolled down the back of her neck. What was Lillian planning? How did she know about Mae? Why was any of this happening?

“Tell Supergirl that she has 24 hours to surrender herself to Cadmus, or the girl here dies.”

With that, Corben and the man entered the van and took off, Mae vanishing with them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mae ends up in Cadmus and some unexpected visitors arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope y'all had a great Christmas and a great Monday in general. There's a lot of angst and AHHH in this chapter, so be prepared.

Alex knew something was wrong when she saw Kara’s name pop up on her phone screen.

“Kara, what’s taking you so long?”

_“Alex?”_

Alex froze. That wasn’t Kara’s voice.

“Lena?”

_“Alex! They…they took her!”_

“Slow down, Lena. Who took who? Is Supergirl with you?”

 _“It was Cadmus.”_ Lena’s voice was fraught with panic. _“They showed up and…they attacked us…Metallo hit us with a Kryptonite blast and Kara is hurt…oh God!”_

The world began to slow around Alex. Did Lena know? Why was Kara at L-Corp? “Is she okay?”

_“Yes, she’s…she’s fine. She’s breathing, thank God. But Alex, they took Mae.”_

Alex nearly dropped her phone. Why was Mae over there? What happened? “Don’t move. I’ll be right there.”

It didn’t take Alex long to get to L-Corp, weaving through traffic easily on her motorcycle. She sprinted through the entrance and went straight up to Lena’s office.

“Kara!”

The blonde was lying on the couch, her skin still glowing a faint green. Lena was beside her, her green eyes wide with panic and shining with tears.

“I didn’t know where else to take her.”

Alex rushed over to Kara’s side, her eyes not leaving the blonde. She rummaged through the backpack she was wearing until she found what she was looking for: a yellow-sun grenade. “Go lock the door. Make sure no one else comes in.” Lena got up and did what Alex said as the agent broke the grenade above Kara, the yellow energy eradicating the remaining traces of Kryptonite in Kara’s system. Alex let out of a breath of relief when Kara began to breathe easier. She turned back to Lena, who was now a crying mess. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yeah, she’s going to be fine.” Alex stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “I guess it’s safe to say that you know.”

Lena nodded.

“How much?” Alex inquired.

“Everything.”

Alex nodded slowly, her eyes darting back to Kara. “Did she tell you?”

“She didn’t have to.”

Alex remained silent. She had had a small feeling that Lena would somehow or someway find out the truth about Kara, and now that the CEO knew, Alex figured that she could trust her. Lena did call her about the incident after all.

“Alex, what are we going to do?” Lena started to cry again, her hands shaking. Alex crossed over and placed her hands on Lena’s shoulders. “Lena, Lena. Calm down, it’s okay. Tell me everything that happened.”

\---------------------------

The throbbing in her head was the first thing Mae noticed when she woke up. She groaned as she sat up, her entire body aching, as she struggled to get her bearings. Her hands flew to her neck, a collar-like object strapped tight around it. _What the hell?_ Mae blinked, soon realizing that she was in a cage. Not only that, but the cage was laced with Kryptonite. _Well, isn’t this just great?_ Mae pushed herself up onto her feet, every movement feeling as if her limbs had been replaced with lead. There were two guards standing at the entrance to the room she was in, their faces covered and guns at the ready. Mae’s heart dropped. She was at Cadmus. Again.

_Shit._

Luckily, she wasn’t strapped to a cold table being operated on, but the situation was still dire. How long had she been in there? The last thing Mae remembered was walking outside L-Corp with her mothers before the pain started. Her heart started to race. Were Kara and Lena okay? She remembered a green light and her parents being knocked to the ground before she passed out. What if they were hurt? Or worse? _No._ She wouldn’t physically be here if they were, so there was comfort in knowing that. But it still made Mae feel uneasy. What was Cadmus planning? That was the million-dollar question, even in this time. The door to the room opened, snapping Mae out of her thoughts. Her fists clenched when she saw who entered.

“Sinestro.”

The alien smirked as he made his way towards the cage. “Hello, Matrix. We meet again.”

Mae glared at Sinestro, wanting nothing more than to throw him against the wall. Sinestro cackled with delight. “You won’t be able to use your special ability against me, especially with that lovely device wrapped around your neck.”

Mae swallowed, the collar seeming to tighten when she did so. Power-dampening collars. Of course.

“Why the Kryptonite cage then?” Mae asked. “I’m no threat to you as long as this thing stays around my neck.”

“True, true,” Sinestro replied, “but seeing you weak, seeing you _afraid_ warms this old heart of mine. It’s also at a low enough level that keeps you weak without tipping off any outside sources.”

The devilish smile on Sinestro’s face made Mae sick to her stomach. _They can’t track the Kryptonite levels. They’re too low._ “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Maybe not,” Sinestro shrugged, “but that doesn’t mean you’re not afraid of, shall we say, what happened to your parents.”

Heat returned to Mae’s cheeks, her eyes burning with intensity. “If you hurt them, I swear to Rao that I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Sinestro threw his head back and laughed. “Your pathetic sun god can’t hear you in here, child. Besides, you said it yourself. You pose no threat to me in your current state.”

“Then why am I here?” Mae spat, her patience wearing thin.

“My dear, can’t you see? You’re bait.”

Mae furrowed her brow. “Bait?”

“Yes, bait. I just said that,” Sinestro rolled his eyes as he began to circle the cage. “You see, Supergirl has 24 hours—well, less than 24 now—or you die.” He paused, grinning at the horrified expression on Mae’s face. “Of course, she’ll come. We both know that she will, and when she does, I’ll make her relive her worst fears over and over again.” Sinestro held up his left hand, the yellow power ring shining on his finger. “She’ll be begging for death before long and I’ll be more than willing to oblige.”

Mae launched herself at Sinestro, but the Kryptonite in the bars sent her crumpling to her knees, her veins turning a bright green as she backed away towards the center of the cage.

“Once you’ve seen her lifeless corpse sprawled out before you,” Sinestro continued, seemingly unfazed by Mae’s actions, “you’ll perish as well.”

Mae coughed, struggling to regain her balance. “You sick bastard.”

“And that’ll leave the little Luthor all alone in the universe once again, her worst fears become real. And with no one left who loves her and no power ring to aid her, it won’t be that hard to finish her off in the end.”

Mae yelled, forcing herself up onto her feet, rage emanating from every fiber in her body. “I will kill you if you so much as look at them!”

Sinestro chuckled to himself. “I’m sure you will.” He glanced at his wrist. “Well, we have a little over 22 hours left before the deadline, so why don’t we have some fun?” He pulled out a small remote, Mae’s eyes widening in terror. “Are you afraid now?” Sinestro pressed a button on it, sending Mae to the ground as she howled and writhed in pain, the ringing in her head intensifying with each scream.

\---------------------------

Kara awoke with a start, sitting up so violently that her head spun. Alex and Lena ended their conversation instantly, rushing over to her side.

“Kara, are you alright?”

Kara rubbed her temple. “I’ll survive.” She slowly swung her legs across the couch when the events of that afternoon came crashing back to her. “Alex!” Kara stood up, grabbing her sister by the arms. “Mae! They took her! Metallo, he used Kryptonite, so I couldn’t…we have to save her. We got to get her back!”

Alex squeezed Kara’s arms. “Kara, I know. Lena explained everything to me when I got here. Winn and J’onn and the rest of the DEO are scouring the city looking for her. I promise you that we will find her and bring her back.”

Kara’s eyes were filling with tears, her heart beating at lightning speed. She looked over at Lena, who immediately swept her up in a hug. “I’m sorry,” Kara cried, “this is all my fault. I should never have brought her here.”

“No, Kara, it’s not your fault,” Lena whispered into Kara’s ear, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. “You wanted us to meet, and I’m so glad we did.”

Kara cried even harder. “But she’s _gone_. And we don’t know where they took her.”

Lena shushed her, holding onto the blonde tightly. “We’ll find her, like Alex said. We’ll find her.”

Alex looked at the two women, her heart constricting at the sight. She pulled out her phone, swallowing hard as she dialed Winn.

_“Hello?”_

“Any updates?”

_“Nothing yet, I’m sorry. We’re pulling footage from every satellite and traffic cam in the city as well as checking for heat signatures and Kryptonite levels, but so far, nothing’s showing up.”_

Alex gritted her teeth. “Okay, well, let me know as soon as you do get something.”

_“Sure thing, boss. Oh wait! Wait…”_

Alex’s ears perked up. “Winn, what is it?”

_“We just picked up a power surge a few miles outside the city limits. Something big. Don’t know if it’s Cadmus, but I bet it’s worth checking out.”_

“Send me the coordinates. I’ll be right there.” She hung up and turned to see Kara and Lena staring at her.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Alex…”

“No, Kara! We can’t lose you too.”

“She is my _daughter_ , Alex! _Our_ daughter.” Kara motioned to Lena. “And I’m going to shake this Earth to its core until I get her back.”

Alex’s eyes hardened. There was no way in hell she was going to talk Kara out of this one. “Alright,” she relented, “but you promise me you’ll be careful. No flying in headfirst.”

Kara nodded. “I promise.”

They turned to leave, Lena starting to follow them.

“Lena, what are you doing?”

“I’m coming too.”

Before Kara could retort, Lena cut her off. “She’s my daughter too, Kara, like you said. I’m coming whether you like it or not.”

Kara turned to Alex for support, but the agent gave a shrug that said _You’re on your own_. Kara let out a groan, accepting defeat. “Fine. But you stay with Alex the entire time.”

“Where will you be?”

“Up.”

With that, the three women left L-Corp, Kara taking to the skies and Lena piggybacking on Alex’s motorcycle. They arrived at the outskirts of town where Winn said the power surge occurred. Kara landed just as Alex pulled up. She recognized this place. This was the place where she first found Mae. Alex and Lena got off the bike and joined Kara, their eyes filled with awe at what they saw before them. A large aircraft sat in front of them, silver in color with a large, red, somewhat transparent sphere revolving in front of the cockpit. Kara recognized it immediately: it was a time-ship. The doors to the ship opened and three figures began to walk out. Alex drew her weapon and Kara’s vision turned red. Once the three figures came into view, Lena spoke.

“Is that boy’s skin _green_?”

Alex squinted. Sure enough, the boy’s skin was green. Even his hair, which was wild and untamed, was green, though a darker shade. Beside him was another boy who had tan skin and black hair, wearing a red suit with a cape that matched his hair and the mask on his face. Between them was a girl with stark blonde hair and what looked like a fancy W on her chest.

“Who are they?” Lena asked.

“We’re about to find out,” Alex replied, holding her gun out in front of her. “Freeze!”

The green boy threw his hands in the air. “Don’t shoot! We come in peace!”

“Jesus Christ, Garfield,” the boy in the mask growled, “for once in your life, just shut up!”

Kara put her hands on her hips. “Who are you?”

The girl stepped forward. “Supergirl?”

Kara’s vision returned to normal at the mention of her name. “Do I know you?”

“In the future, you do,” the girl responded, a smile spreading across her face. “Thank the gods we found you.”

Kara furrowed her brow. She didn’t have time for more time-traveling teens. Mae was in trouble and she needed to find her before it was too late.

“Wait a second.” Alex holstered her gun. “I recognize your voice. You were on the other end of the transmission Mae made the other day.”

The girl nodded, her bright blue eyes shining. “Yes, Agent Danvers. Is she with you?”

“Who are you?” Kara asked, her tone hard and serious.

“Of course,” the girl bowed her head slightly. “I’m Cassandra Sandsmark and these are my teammates, Garfield Logan and Tim Drake. We’re here to bring Mae Zor-El home.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena reassures Kara, Mae and Lillian have a chat, and Cassie and Alex bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hella gay and hella angsty.

Kara stood on the balcony of the DEO, looking up at the sky. Sometimes when she was really nervous or stressed, she would come out here and look at the stars, look for Krypton—at least, where Krypton used to be. Kara wondered if she ever told Mae about her home planet, about the life she used to live before fleeing to Earth. She probably did, of course. Kara probably sang Mae Kryptonian lullabies to help her sleep, taught her the teachings and prayers of Rao, helped her to hone her powers and use them for good. It still felt strange thinking about it, but it also felt like second nature to Kara now. She could barely see the stars tonight, though, which only added to her mounting anxiety.

They had been searching for Mae all day. Lena told them about the ultimatum Metallo gave her, and Kara didn’t hesitate with her answer. Of course, everyone else adamantly refused to let Kara turn herself over to Cadmus, with Alex saying that this wasn’t the way to get Mae back. After a lot of arguing, Kara stormed out of the room and had been out on the balcony ever since. She used her super-hearing to see if she could pick up on any signs that Mae was out there, that she was still alive, but she couldn’t hear anything. Cassie, Garfield, and Tim helped out as much as they could, even offering a possible location where Cadmus might be holding Mae.

“It was where we found her the last time Cadmus took her,” Cassie had said, who looked just as on edge as Kara was right now. “It’s worth a shot.”

Unfortunately, the location was a dead end, so they were back to square one. J’onn had every available agent on the field or on call, Alex was with the Young Justice squad poring over old records see if they could find anything that could give them ideas on where Cadmus was located, and Winn and Lena were poring over every satellite image that National City had to offer. Lena had been working nonstop since arriving at the DEO with Kara, Alex, and the members of Young Justice, helping out Winn and the rest of the technical team in every way she could. Kara wanted to help look for Mae, but J’onn made her stay put, claiming it was too dangerous for Supergirl to be out there right now. Kara didn’t give a shit about the danger, she wanted to help find Mae and bring her back home. Her hand closed around her mother’s necklace as tears started to form in her eyes.

_“Rao, if you can hear me, please watch over Mae. Keep her safe for me.”_

A pair of arms wrapping around her waist startled Kara, but she relaxed when she saw it was Lena.

“What were you saying just now?”

“I was praying,” Kara replied, “for Mae to be safe.”

Lena tightened her hold around Kara’s waist, the blonde’s hands squeezing Lena’s arms. “If she’s anything like her mother, she’ll be fine.”

Kara let out a small laugh, tears finally escaping her eyes. Lena placed her head on Kara’s shoulder, burying her face into the blonde’s neck.

“I want her back, Lena,” Kara choked out. “I want her back here, in my arms, safe and sound.” She turned around to face the CEO, taking her hands in her own. “I know it sounds weird. Hell, it still sounds weird to me, but in the few days that I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve grown to love her so much. I knew she was something special when I first found her. I just love her so much and I don’t know what I would do if I lost her.”

Lena cupped Kara’s face with her hands, brushing away the Kryptonian’s tears with her thumbs. “I know, Kara. I feel the same way. I never pictured myself being a mother, what with the only maternal figure in my life being a cold-hearted, manipulative bitch. But when you brought Mae in today and after we sat down and talked…I don’t know how, but it just all made sense to me. I love her more than I’ve loved anything in my entire life. Except maybe you.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “You love me?”

Lena blushed. “Yes, Kara Danvers, I love you. I love you so much, and I know that we are going to get our daughter back. And when we do, we’re going to blow Cadmus to kingdom come.”

Kara nodded, the tears streaming down her cheeks even harder now. “I love you too, Lena Luthor. And I will be right by your side when Cadmus goes down.” She pulled Lena in for a soft, wet kiss, her resolve hardening the longer the kiss went on. Lena pulled apart first, her green eyes also swimming in tears as she leaned her forehead against Kara’s. Kara closed her eyes, praying to the gods, to Rao, to anyone who would listen for a miracle.

\--------------------------

“Wake up, child.”

Mae opened her eyes, her brain hammering against her skull. She was still in the cage, the Kryptonite still emanating from the bars. She sat up slowly, every muscle in her body screaming their protest. A woman was standing behind her, her eyes as piercing and cold as icicles and a tight smile adorned her face.

“I was getting worried you weren’t going to wake up. I thought my companion had killed you prematurely.”

Mae growled as she stood up, the room spinning around her almost making her lose her balance. “You bitch!”

The woman blinked amusedly. “Now, what have I done to you to warrant such language? A simple ‘hello’ would’ve sufficed.”

Mae remained silent, glaring at the woman, who smirked. “Fine. I’ll carry the conversation. Lillian Luthor, head of Cadmus. I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, I wanted to meet the so-called Matrix face-to-face,” Lillian replied. “Sinestro talks an awful lot about you, and I can now say having seeing you that I am less than impressed.”

Mae huffed, smiling slightly. “I could say the same about you.”

Lillian’s eyes narrowed. “You should watch your tone. Wouldn’t want to go another round with our mutual alien friend, would we?”

Mae remained silent, the throbbing in her head returning. Lillian smiled. “I’m sure you know why you’re here.”

“I won’t let you kill her.”

“Such conviction,” Lillian mused. “I admire that in a woman, even ones…like yourself.” She walked around to the other side of the cage, Mae’s eyes following her every move.

“Supergirl means a lot to you, doesn’t she? Are you two close?”

Silence.

“You are related, aren’t you? I saw the footage from the press conference. You were flying around with that wretched symbol on your chest, so of course you’re part of that ‘Super family’.”

More silence. Lillian pressed her lips together.

“Sinestro hasn’t told me anything about your heritage, of course. He only said you were important to Supergirl and the key to her downfall.”

“You won’t win.”

Lillian kept walking, pleased at having gotten a response from the young Kryptonian. “I’m a Luthor, dear. I always win.”

“You’re not the only Luthor around here, though. Are you?”

“No, I’m not,” Lillian replied. “Sadly, my son has been…away for some time, so I have been seeing to his work in his absence.”

“I wasn’t talking about your son.”

This time, Lillian paused, turning to give Mae an icy glare. “How do you know my daughter?”

Mae smirked. “We’re close.”

“How could you be? You’ve only just arrived.”

Mae couldn’t hide her smile. “You’d be suprised.”

Lillian was fuming now. “And what are you to my daughter?”

Mae glared back, holding her head high. “Family.”

Lillian walked over to a lever by the wall and pulled it. “ _I_ am her family. It’s only a matter of time before she sees that. You barely know her.”

The Kryptonite levels increased, sending Mae to her knees. “I know her more than you could ever hope to.” Mae spoke through gritted teeth as she glared at Lillian, her hands closing into fists as her veins turned green. “So I know for a fact that she will do whatever it takes to stop you and your godforsaken organization from hurting innocent people.”

Lillian rushed forward, her face glowing green from the Kryptonite. “You and your kind are _not_ people. And you are far from innocent. And _I_ will do what it takes to rid my home of your kind, no matter the cost.”

“You are a vile bitch,” Mae snarled. Lillian narrowed her eyes.

“I thought I recognized that look.”

Mae blinked. “What look?”

Lillian chuckled to herself. “I know who you are.” She laughed harder, which sent a chill down Mae’s spine.

“You’re Supergirl’s spawn.”

Mae froze, her eyes going wide. _Oh fuck!_

Lillian’s smile stretched across her face. She looked as if she had just won the lottery. “Well, this is going to much more fun than I had anticipated.” She giggled like a schoolgirl. “I’ll be seeing you in a few hours then.”

With a final laugh, Lillian turned and headed out of the room, but not before having one of the guards turn down the Kryptonite levels back to their normal state. The following silence washed over Mae, the finality of the situation looming over her head like an anvil. She began to cry, clutching her mother’s necklace against her chest, praying to Rao that Kara would stay safe and stay away from the clutches of Lillian Luthor.

\----------------------------

Cassie let out a sigh as she rubbed her temples with her fingers. She and her team had been looking over Cadmus records for the past three hours, and they were as close to finding the organization as they were when they started. She looked around: Garfield looked bored out of his mind while Tim was giving attention to every word in each manuscript in his possession. He was always the one to pay attention to detail. Alex was in the corner of the room, looking at files on the computer, her eyes heavy from lack of sleep. Everyone at the DEO had been working nonstop since Mae was taken, and the work was beginning to take its toll as the deadline of the ultimatum neared. Cassie was exhausted, even for a demigoddess, but she was also very anxious. She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her beating heart, but it was no use. Mae would be dead in a few hours and there was nothing she could do. Alex told her about Sinestro also being in this time and working with Cadmus, which made her furious. That son of a bitch was going to pay if he laid one of his purple fingers on her girlfriend, and Zeus help him if he had used his ring on her. Sparks flew from her fingertips, startling her. Cassie closed her hand into a fist and took another deep breath, fighting back the tears she knew were coming.

“You okay?”

Cassie looked up to see Alex standing over her. She shook her head and looked back down. “No.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to be.” Alex pulled up a chair and sat across from Cassie. “I don’t know how I would react if Maggie was taken all of the sudden.”

Cassie locked eyes with Alex. “I don’t know what else to do. We’ve been wasting time looking for clues in here when we should be out there looking for her.” She put her head in her hands. “What if she thinks no one’s coming? What if she dies thinking that no one was coming to save her? I can’t…she can’t…”

Alex leaned over and extended a hand to Cassie. “You love her, don’t you?”

Cassie looked up, her eyes red and stained with tears. “With everything that I am.”

“And I know for a fact that Mae knows that,” Alex said. “She knows you love her. She knows that you would do anything in your power to get to her and she knows that you would die trying.”

Cassie shook her head. “How do you know? You don’t even know me.”

Alex smiled. “I know what it’s like to be in love and how scared you can get when that person is taken away from you.” She paused, leaning back in her chair. “A couple of months ago, I was kidnapped by a madman who used me as leverage to get his father out of prison. I was terrified, scared that I was going to die without saying goodbye to my family, to Kara. To Maggie. I tried to stay alive for as long as I could, and luckily, Maggie and Supergirl found me in the nick of time. I later found out that Maggie was willing to free the father in order to get me back.”

Cassie’s eyes went wide. “I would never turn over Supergirl…”

“It’s okay, sweetie. That’s not my point,” Alex continued. “My point is that Maggie fought for me, just as you are fighting for Mae. Keep fighting.”

Cassie took a deep breath and nodded. “Always.”

Alex nodded back just as Winn sprinted into the room.

“We found something!”

Alex and Cassie sprang from their seats and followed Winn, Tim and Garfield hot on their heels. They entered the main control room where J’onn, Kara, Lena, and other DEO agents were waiting.

“One of our devices just picked up a surge of Kryptonite energy way outside of town near the base of the mountains. I would bet my life savings that’s where Cadmus is.”

“Mae.” Cassie’s heart soared. They found her! She was going to be okay. She looked over at Lena and Kara, expressions of relief adorning their faces. J’onn moved to the center of the room.

“Alright, people. Let’s get ready to move out.”

Cassie felt the sparks fly between her fingers. She was getting her girl back.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supergirl, Lena Luthor, Young Justice, and the DEO join forces to rescue Mae from Cadmus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue Ready, Aim, Fire by Imagine Dragons* 
> 
> I'm warning you guys now, the ending part is AHHHH but I did it to showcase Sinestro's powers. EVERYTHING'S FINE!!
> 
> Also huge thanks to @uniquelykaydt for reviewing this and the chapter before this one! You're the best!

The DEO broke into organized chaos moments after J’onn gave everyone their assignments. Alex, Vasquez, and a group of field agents were tasked with taking out Cadmus’s defense. They changed into their body armor and loaded their weapons before holstering them. Alex made sure to bring her favorite alien gun along.

“You didn’t think I was going to leave this behind, did you?” Alex had said before she left, J’onn rolling his eyes but smiling.

Kara and the Young Justice team suited up as well. They would be meeting Alex and her team once the latter group arrived at Cadmus, and they would break in once Winn gave the all clear. Kara would fly in, find Mae, and fly her straight back to the DEO. Cassie, Tim, and Garfield would be her backup in case Sinestro decided to show up, seeing as they had faced off with him on more than one occasion. It was also just a good idea to have more numbers on their side.

Kara was a nervous wreck, pacing the floor of the training room as they waited for Alex’s signal. Cassie was fastening a pair of gauntlets on her forearms while Tim and Garfield were practicing some fighting techniques. Kara let out a shaky breath. She was so close to getting Mae back and the wait was killing her. She only hoped that she wasn’t too late.

“Kara?”

Kara looked up to see Cassie holding a large curled rope in her hand. “Hey. Cassie right?”

The girl nodded. “Are you okay?”

Kara fought back the urge to laugh. “Am I okay? My daughter who I just met days ago has been captured by the most evil organization in the entire nation and is probably being tortured right now while I’m just sitting here waiting until it’s okay to save her! Do I look okay to you?”

Cassie backed up slightly. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid question to ask.”

“No,” Kara shook her head, “it wasn’t. I’m sorry, I’m just…really worried about Mae.”

“I am too. But we’ll get her back, I know we will.”

Kara nodded absently. “So…how long have you and Mae been together?”

“Almost two years,” Cassie replied, half-smiling. “I met her at the museum my mother was working at when I was around seventeen. This was before I joined Young Justice and around the time I discovered I had powers. I also worked there as a tour guide and she was in my group one day. All throughout the tour, I kept looking over at her. She was so beautiful.” Cassie paused. “I’m sorry, this must be really weird for you.”

“A little,” Kara nodded, but smiled, an image of Lena popping into her mind. “But I’ve been there.”

Cassie blushed. “Anyway, Mae got a call in the middle of the tour and had to leave, so I couldn’t talk to her after the tour. I didn’t think I would see her again, but a few days later, she came back in for another tour. This time she stayed through the whole thing. Afterwards, we talked and walked around the museum until it was closing time. I asked her if she wanted to hang out again sometime and…she said yes.”

“Aww!” Kara and Cassie turned around to see Garfield with his hand over his heart. “I’ve never heard this story.”

Tim knocked the green boy to the ground with his bow staff. “Pay attention, Gar!”

“Sorry, sorry!”

Cassie rolled her eyes as the two boys began to bicker. “I work with children.”

Kara laughed. “So when did you join Young Justice?”

“A couple of months after Mae and I started going out. On one of our dates, she saw me stop a guy trying to steal some lady’s purse and noticed sparks flying from my fingers. Being the stubborn person that she is, Mae kept asking about it even though I told her over and over again that she imagined it. But then she showed me what she could do, that she had superpowers of her own, and I had to relent. She told me about a team she was a part of and said that they were in desperate need of more firepower. I went back with her and trained with her for the most part, soon going on missions with her and the team. And I fell more in love with her every day.” Cassie’s smile faded. “That’s why I was terrified when Cadmus took her that day. We searched for her for two weeks before we finally found her. I hardly slept at all during that time, and when you brought her back, I didn’t leave her side for the next week.”

Kara continued to look at Cassie as tears began to form in her eyes. Mae had been gone for almost a full day and Kara was an anxious mess. How did she react when her daughter was gone for _two weeks_? Kara shuddered at the thought.

Cassie wiped her eyes and looked into Kara’s. “You saved her before, you can do it again. And my team and I will be with you every step of the way.”

Behind her, Tim and Garfield nodded their agreement. Kara smiled as she fought back tears. “Thank you. For everything you’re doing. We will bring her back.”

Cassie bowed her head slightly as a voice rang through Kara’s ear.

_“Supergirl. Come in, Supergirl.”_

Kara’s heart leapt into her throat. “Alex?”

_“We’re here. Waiting on you.”_

Kara nodded. “It’s time.”

She and the Young Justice squad made their way to the balcony entrance, J’onn and Winn wishing them luck as they passed. Garfield took to the skies first after he transformed into a giant eagle, carrying Tim on his back. Cassie followed suit after she fastened her lasso onto her belt. Just as Kara was about to take off, she heard footsteps clamor behind her. She turned around to see Lena clad in full DEO body armor, her long hair up in a ponytail and gun strapped to her waist. Kara froze.

“Lena, what are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No!” Kara shook her head vehemently. “No. You’re staying here where you’re safe.”

The look in Lena’s eyes sent a shiver down Kara’s spine. “I am coming with you whether you like it or not. We’re in this together.” She took a step towards Kara, practically pushing the blonde against the railing. “I am not letting you face my mother alone.”

“I won’t be alone, Lee. I got a whole team backing me. I’ll be fine.”

“You know what I mean, Kara.” Lena leaned in closer. “You’ve stood by me all this time, even when others told you not to. Let me stand by you and help you save our girl.”

Kara fought the urge to look away, suddenly ashamed. “I don’t think I would forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”

Lena took Kara’s hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. “That’s why I’m coming. Because I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you when I could've done something to stop it.”

Kara pulled Lena into the biggest hug she had ever given anyone, trying to fight back tears but failing miserably. What had she done to deserve to be loved someone like Lena Luthor? She kissed Lena passionately, wanting to stay like this forever. After a few painfully-too-short moments, Kara pulled away.

“Alright,” she nodded. “Let’s go save our girl.”

\-----------------------------------

Lena hated flying. She had had a fear of flying ever since she was little, the thought of being high up in the air with nothing to catch her if she fell making Lena feel sick to her stomach. Hell, the first time she tried flying in National City, an assassin tried to kill her with drones. But as she was flying now in Kara’s arms towards Cadmus, she felt strangely at peace. Lena knew that Kara would catch her if she fell. Not that she would as Kara had a steel-tight grip on her, holding Lena close to her chest. She felt safer in the air within Kara’s arms than she had ever felt on the ground with Lillian, which reminded her that she would soon be facing the woman, sending her heart racing again.

“It’s okay. I got you,” Kara whispered into her ear. Lena buried her face into Kara’s shoulder, thanking the powers that be for bringing this wonderful woman into her life.

They landed a few short minutes after taking off, Kara gently placing Lena on the ground and holding her up as they made their way towards the rest of the team. Alex spotted them and met them halfway.

“Took you long enough,” Alex quipped, looking over at Lena. “What’s she doing here?”

“I’m here to get my daughter back. Same as you.”

Alex raised her eyebrows. “Alright. You okay with this?”

“No, but she would still come even if I tied her up and locked her in a holding cell,” Kara said.

Alex chuckled. “We’re just waiting for the all-clear from Winn. Come join the rest of us.”

Alex’s team and Young Justice stood together a little ways away from the entrance to Cadmus, which resembled a high-tech Hobbit door. Kara and Lena took their place behind Cassie, who nodded at them when they approached. Everyone was in position, so once Winn hacked the security in the door, it was go time.

“Can you see inside?” Lena asked Kara, a hint of fear in her voice.

“No”, Kara replied. “The door is lined with lead. The rest of the place is likely to be as well.”

Lena swallowed nervously. They were flying in blind.

_Don’t worry, Mae. We’re coming._

Alex drew her weapon, prompting the other DEO members to do the same. Winn must be close to opening the door. Lena pulled out her gun as well. She wasn’t as skilled with a gun as Alex was, but she was no stranger to using one either. She steeled herself for battle as the next few moments when by at an agonizingly slow pace, her grip on the gun tightening with each sharp breath. After what felt like hours, they heard a beep followed by a loud click, the door opening before them.

“Let’s go!”

Alex lead the charge as DEO soldiers followed suit, Young Justice, Kara, and Lena not too far behind. They made their way down a long, dark hallway, passing by several doors. Lena wanted to check them, but knew that it would be a waste of time. Lillian wouldn’t keep a prized prisoner on the top floor.

It wasn’t long before the alarm system kicked in and masked guards came to meet them, and soon the entire hall was ablaze with gunfire, roars, and shouts. Lena didn’t know where do look, so much was happening around her. Alex managed to take two Cadmus goons down with her gun before having to take cover. Vasquez took out three before doing the same, nursing a bullet wound in her shoulder.

“Vasquez!” Alex shouted.

“I’m okay!” Vasquez shouted back, but the hurt in her voice said otherwise.

“Samuels, get Vasquez out of here!” Alex roared as she opened fire again, sending two more shoulders crumpling to the floor.

Garfield took down a couple of guards as a tiger, shifting into a rhino as he knocked some more into the wall. Tim moved like a ninja, tripping up guards left and right with his bow staff, with Cassie blocking bullets with her gauntlets. Kara blasted the guards’ guns with her heat vision, shielding Lena with her cape when they were fired upon. Lena’s heart was pumping so fast, she felt it in her fingertips. Suddenly, a blast of green sent Kara soaring towards the back of the hall, leaving Lena out in the open. She turned around to see Metallo standing there, a smug grin on his face.

“Hello, love,” he sneered. “Funny how we keep meeting like this.”

Lena gritted her teeth and pointed her gun at Metallo. “You son of a bitch.”

Metallo laughed. “Go ahead. Fire away. You see how well that went the last time.”

Lena glared at the cyborg as her finger reached for the trigger, but she found herself on the ground before she could fire. Lights flashed before her eyes as her body hit the ground hard, the wind knocked completely out of her. She coughed up a bit of blood, spitting it onto the ground.

_Fuck._

Metallo was standing right above her, his Kryptonite heart pulsating with its energy. “It’s about time someone put you in your place, Miss Luthor.” He kicked her in the stomach, more blood coming out of her mouth as Lena struggled for air. Before he could do it again, however, a bullet ricocheted off his shoulder.

“Hey, asshole! Over here!”

Metallo turned around to see Alex locked and loaded, her face glistening with sweat and a burning rage in her eyes. The cyborg went to take care of Alex, leaving Lena to writhe on the ground in pain. Lena lay there for what seemed like hours, the pain searing through every inch of her body. Every sound was muted in her ears, but she could still make out the grunts, shouts, and screams of each person. Both agents and guards fell to the floor as they were hit, pained screams escaping their lips. Lena closed her eyes as a hand shook her shoulder violently as a voice screamed at her.

“Lena! Wake up! Lena!”

She slowly looked up to see Kara above her, the veins in her neck still glowing green from exposure to Kryptonite.

“Lena, we gotta go! We have to find Mae!”

Lena opened her eyes at the mention of her daughter, letting out a yell as she sat up. Her head swam and her vision was blurry, but Kara helped her to stand and began to lead her down the hall, the sounds of the fight growing fainter and fainter.

“How will you…find her?” Lena slurred.

“I’ll listen for her heartbeat,” Kara replied, the pain in her voice evident.

They continued to make their way down the hall as several more guards came rushing their way.

“Oh shit!” Kara exclaimed through her teeth as the guards began to open fire on the two women. Kara quickly drew her cape up over them, the bullets bouncing off of it as if they were paperclips. Lena could see the shadows of the men move closer to them, her heart racing.

 _We’re going to die_.

“DUCK!”

Kara forced Lena to the ground just as a large bolt of lightning shot across them and sent the guards flying back a couple hundred yards. The women looked behind them to see Cassie, lasso in hand, her eyes silver and flashing with sparks.

“Thought you could use some help.”

The demigoddess rushed over and helped the women back onto their feet. “Alex gave me this to give to you.” She held out a yellow-sun grenade to Kara, who took it and broke it. The Kryptonian let out a breath of relief as the sun’s energy filled her body. “Thank you, Cassie.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We still need to find Mae.”

“Do you really think you can hear her in here?”

Kara shrugged. “I have to try.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head, her ears filtering out every sound in the facility until she picked up on one, lone, weak heartbeat.

_Boom-boom…boom-boom…boom-boom…_

Kara’s eyes flew open. She found her.

“I know where she is! Come on!”

The three women sprinted down the hall, following Kara through several corridors and down a few flights of stairs. They soon found a large blue door at the end of a hallway. Kara sprinted towards it, the heartbeat getting louder with each step she took. She kicked down the door with ease, sending it sliding to the other side of the room. Two guards were there, startled by the commotion. Cassie easily disposed of them with her lasso, leaving them unconscious on the ground. Lena followed them in, her eyes taking in the sight before her.

A large cage was in the center of the room, green light emanating from the bars.

_Kryptonite._

“Kara, stay back!” Lena threw a hand in front of Kara. The blonde began to protest, but soon saw the Kryptonite in the cage and took a few steps back. Lena scanned the room as quickly as she could. There had to be an off-switch in here somewhere. Finally, she found a lever on the other side of the room. That had to be it. She sprinted over there and shut off the Kryptonite, prompting Kara to pull back the bars and enter the cage. She carried a limp body in her arms, her fair skin green from prolonged exposure to Kryptonite. Lena’s heart jumped into her throat.

_Mae!_

She ran back over to Kara, tears streaming down her cheeks as she let out a cry of relief. They found her. Her daughter was safe now. Kara and Cassie were tearing up as well, the latter pulling out another yellow-sun grenade. Kara gently placed Mae on the ground as she broke it above her, the girl’s veins slowly returning to normal. Mae breathed in deeply, a sign that the Kryptonite was out of her system. Lena placed a kiss on Mae’s forehead, overwhelmed with all the emotions running through her body.

“I should’ve known you would be here.”

Lena’s head snapped back up, the icy voice making her hair stand on end.

“Mother.”

Lillian Luthor stood in the doorway, a gun in her hand. Cassie stood up, her lasso in hand. Kara stayed on the ground, but her eyes started to glow, her heat vision locked and loaded. Lillian smiled, amused.

“Lena. Step away from the alien spawn.”

Lena moved in front of Mae, her green eyes burning with fury. “No.”

Lillian raised her eyebrows. “You dare defy me, Lena? After all that I’ve done for you, you side with these…these _freaks_?”

“These freaks have given me more than you ever could,” Lena spat out. “They gave me hope. They gave me trust.” She turned to face Kara, managing to produce a small smile. “They gave me love.”

Kara smiled back. Lillian’s eyes flitted between Lena and Kara before finally resting on Mae, letting out an anguished scream when the realization hit her.

“No! It can’t be!”

She pointed her gun at Kara. “ _You_. You did this.”

Cassie sprung into action, but Lillian shot her in the shoulder, sending the demigoddess to the ground before pointing the gun back at Kara. Lena moved to shield the Kryptonian. “Mother, no!”

Lillian shoved her daughter to the side. “Enough, Lena! It’s about time I end our Super problem once and for all.” She turned back to Kara. “You corrupt my daughter, making her think that you love her. Making her believe that this… _thing_ is hers! You Supers are sick and I will not tolerate your bullshit any longer.”

She cocked the gun and aimed it at Kara’s head. “These are Kryptonite bullets, so I wouldn’t be too confident about your odds.”

The blonde remained resolute, holding Mae closer to her chest. She took one last look at Lena before closing her eyes.

_“I’m sorry, my love. Forgive me.”_

The world slowed around Lena. She watched as her mother pressed her finger on the trigger, Kara clutching Mae to her chest as a tear strolled down her cheek, Cassie reaching for her lasso with her wounded arm. Something snapped inside Lena. Her hands curled into fists, her fingernails drawing blood from her palms. She let out a loud cry and sprinted towards her mother knocking her to the ground as the gun went off. Lena hit her mother over and over again, her face becoming bloodier with each blow. Lena screamed, all of the rage and pain from the years bubbling up to the surface as she rained hell upon Lillian’s face.

“Lena! Lena, STOP!”

Lena stopped mid-swing, her breaths shaky and her knuckles bruised. She turned around to see Cassie staring at her, her blue eyes wide with horror.

“What have you done?”

Lena gave Cassie a quizzical look as she turned to see Kara lying on the ground. She wasn’t moving.

_“NO!”_

Lena scrambled over to Kara. _She can’t be dead. She can’t be dead. She can’t be dead._

The bullet hole in Kara’s forehead proved otherwise. Lena let out a soul-crushing cry. Kara was dead. The Girl of Steel had fallen. She cradled Kara’s head in her lap, her tears dropping onto the blonde’s cheeks.

“Come back to me. Please, come back to me.”

Lena soon noticed that Mae wasn’t moving either. The girl’s skin had gone pale, her chest completely still. She was dead too.

Lena couldn’t breathe. The two people in her life that she had sworn to protect, the two people she had loved the most were gone. She sobbed violently, placing her head on Kara’s chest, the symbol of hope being eroded by Lena’s tears. She stayed there for a long time, sobbing and praying to whatever god would listen to bring her girls back to her until a voice interrupted her mourning.

“Well, isn’t this just awful?”

Lena looked up to see a strange-looking man standing before her. His skin was either purple or magenta—Lena couldn’t tell in this light—and he was wearing a skin-tight outfit the color of the sun. On his left middle finger was a ring of the same color, glowing brightly. His eyes were also yellow and they were glowing as well.

“To lose one’s family just like that, well, that would be hard for anyone.”

Lena narrowed her eyes at the stranger. “Do I know you?”

“Oh, where are my manners? It’s just…so strange to see you without your ring.” He bowed slightly. “Thaal Sinestro of the Yellow Lantern Corps, at your service, Miss Luthor.”

Lena’s heart started to beat quicker. “How do you know my name?”

Sinestro laughed. “We have a long history, you and I, Miss Luthor.”

Lena stared at Sinestro. What on earth was he talking about? And what was this about a ring?

“Get the hell out of here,” Lena said, the anger returning to her voice, “or I swear to God, I will kill you.”

Sinestro laughed even harder. “Oh, Lena. Always making promises you can’t keep.” He motioned to Kara and Mae’s bodies. “In trying to keep the promise to protect your family, your worst fears have come true.” Sinestro grinned, his smile resembling the Cheshire Cat’s. “Fear does strange things to the mind. It makes you behave irrationally, makes you act in ways that you would not usually act. Fear not only makes you scared, but angry and hateful. And my dear, you are overflowing with all three.” He held his ring up to his face, yellow energy pulsating off of it. “I was going to do this to your lover, but you, oh, you are so much better.”

Lena wanted nothing more than to smack that sly grin off of Sinestro’s face, to beat him to a pulp like she did Lillian. Sinestro cackled as Lena continued to glare at him.

“I truly am sorry for your loss,” he sneered.

Lena lost it. She screamed and punched Sinestro square in the jaw. “You bastard!”

“Lena!”

A gunshot echoed through the room, Sinestro crying out in pain. A bullet had landed in his side, blood soaking through his outfit. Lena turned around to see Alex standing in the doorway, her alien gun in her hand.

“Did I forget to mention how much I love my gun?”

Sinestro growled at her, stalking towards her with his ring hand outstretched. Alex sent another bullet flying towards him, this time landing in his shoulder. Sinestro winced as he cried out, the glow in his eyes starting to diminish. This didn’t seem to faze him, however.

“You think that you and that quirky little gun of yours can defeat _me?_ ”

“No,” Alex shook her head, “but we sure as hell can.”

Sinestro’s eyes widened at the sight of Young Justice entering the room to stand behind Alex: Tim had his bow staff at the ready, Cassie’s lasso sparkled with silver lightning, and Garfield let out a mighty roar in his T-rex form. Several DEO agents filed in behind them, their weapons pointed directly at the Lantern. Furious, Sinestro let out a yell before rocketing towards the sky, breaking through the roof and flying away. Everyone lowered their weapons.

“Alright, everybody. Let’s move out.”

Lena sank to the ground. Alex didn’t know. Oh God, how was Alex going to react? She started to cry again, but no tears came.

“Lena.” Alex knelt by the CEO’s side. “Lena, what’s wrong?”

“Kara,” Lena choked out, unable to look at the agent, her throat raw from crying so much. “Mae. They’re…they’re _gone_.”

Alex furrowed her brow. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”

“They’re _dead_ , Alex!” Lena shouted. “Don’t you see?”

Alex turned to where Lena was pointing, growing more confused. “Lena, there’s nothing there.”

Lena opened her eyes. Kara and Mae’s bodies were gone, and so was Lillian. Her heart was racing. What the hell was going on?

“How…what…?”

Alex helped Lena onto her feet. “Lena, look at me. Kara and Mae are fine. They’re both back at the DEO, alive and safe. They’re fine.”

Lena couldn’t believe her ears. She broke down again, collapsing into Alex’s arms, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks this time.

_They’re okay._


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie and Lena bond while Kara proves that she is the best girlfriend ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that it took so long to update. This one still has some angst, but it's still fluffy and gay and I promised y'all a reprieve after the last chapter.

Lena didn’t remember leaving Cadmus. She could feel her body swaying inside the armored car as it drove, but her mind was elsewhere. Her heart was on overdrive as the events of the evening replayed in her mind: Lillian pointing a gun at Kara’s head, Lena stopping her, Kara and Mae dead on the floor, Sinestro’s wicked smile and glowing yellow eyes. Lena put her head in her hands, trying not to focus on the wave of nausea that was quickly making its presence known. Alex sat in the car across from her, and was talking on the phone with someone. Lena couldn’t hear who it was, but from the way Alex was speaking, the CEO assumed it was Kara, which made her heart leap into her throat. Alex told her that Kara was alive, that she and Mae were back at the DEO safe and sound. Lena rubbed her temples with her fingers. She saw Kara’s lifeless body back at Cadmus not too long ago. She held the blonde’s head in her hands as Lena begged her to come back to her. How was any of this possible? So much of the impossible has happened so quickly that, Lena didn’t know what to believe anymore.

The next thing Lena knew, the car stopped, making her stomach lurch. They must be back at the DEO. Lena nearly tripped out of the car when Alex opened the door as she sprinted into the facility with one objective: find Kara and Mae. She wanted to believe that what Alex had told her was true, but she needed to see her girls with her own eyes. She entered the main control room when she saw a familiar red cape talking to Winn and J’onn.

“Kara!”

The blonde turned around, her blue eyes flooding with relief when she saw Lena. “Lena!”

Kara ran over to Lena and pulled her into a hard kiss, both women relaxing tremendously in each other’s arms. Lena balled her fists in Kara’s cape, several emotions vying to take control inside her. She was alive. Her Kara was _alive_.

“Mae.” Lena looked up at Kara. “Is Mae alright?”

“Yes,” Kara nodded, tears shining in her eyes. “She’s upstairs under the sun-lamps recovering. She’s going to be fine.”

Lena let out a shaky breath, burying her face into Kara’s shoulder. Her girls were alive and safe, thank God. She held onto Kara as tight as she could, afraid she would lose her again if she didn’t.

“I thought you were dead.”

Kara pulled back slightly. “Why would you think that?”

Lena froze, not knowing how to respond. How could she tell Kara that she just saw her die? How it felt so real to her? Lena wasn’t all that sure that she was dreaming this interaction with the Kryptonian right now. Kara sensed her hesitation and tilted Lena’s face up to hers, the worry swimming in her blue eyes.

“Lena? What’s wrong?”

Before Lena could answer, the Young Justice squad arrived, looking exhausted as they trudged down the balcony steps.

“Anything?” J’onn inquired as the teens joined the group.

Garfield shook his head. They had spent the last hour trying to track down Sinestro after he bolted from Cadmus. “We lost his trail around the outskirts of the city. Everything muddled together after that,” Garfield said, wrinkling his nose.

“We’ll find him,” Tim stated as he removed his mask. “He couldn’t have gone far. Even Lanterns need time to properly heal.” He turned to face Kara. “Your sister shot him up pretty good back at Cadmus. My mentor would be quite impressed with her ability.” Kara smiled proudly.

“Where’s Mae?” Cassie interjected, her shoulders tense.

“She’s upstairs in the medical ward,” J’onn answered. “We have all of our best doctors attending to her.”

“Can I see her?”

“I think it would be best if we let her rest for now. She’s been through a lot in the past few hours,” J’onn replied. “In fact, I think we could all use some rest. Our fight is long from over.”

Everyone but Cassie and Lena mumbled their agreement. Lena needed to see Mae, to see with her own eyes that her daughter was physically okay. She wasn’t going to rest until she did. Cassie felt the same way.

“Please, J’onn,” Cassie begged as she locked eyes with the Martian. “I just want to see if she’s alright.”

After a few moments of silence, J’onn relented, bowing his head slightly. “Alright, but just for a few minutes.”

Cassie breathlessly thanked him and raced away, closely followed by her teammates. Lena watched them go, the ache in her heart increasing tenfold.

“I want to see her too,” she whispered so low that she knew Kara would be the only one to hear her. “I need to see her.”

The blonde nodded knowingly, taking Lena’s hand in hers and headed towards the stairs.

“Kara, wait up!”

Both women turned to see Alex jogging towards them. “Can I speak with you real quick?”

Kara gave Lena a quick look before turning back to Alex. “Sure,” she said, giving Lena’s hand a reassuring squeeze before walking off with Alex. Lena gasped softly, her hand now cold without Kara’s touch. She closed her hand as she walked up to the medical ward, which wasn’t that hard to find. Lena entered the room and saw Tim, Garfield, and Cassie sitting around one of the beds that had three large lamps hanging over it. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Mae: the girl’s raven hair was unkempt, there were dark circles under her eyes, which made them appear sunken in under the lamplight, and her skin was almost translucent. The only thing that gave Lena comfort was the sight of Mae’s chest moving up and down rhythmically.

“You okay?”

Lena didn’t look away from Mae, but nodded, her throat closing up as tears started to well in her eyes. Cassie turned and gave Tim and Garfield a slight nod, prompting them to bid the women goodnight before taking their leave. Lena took Tim’s place and sat across from Cassie, her eyes locked on Mae’s face. She wanted nothing more than for Mae to wake up and smile that beautiful smile of hers that Lena had come to love, to hug her daughter so tight that she couldn’t breathe anymore. More than anything, Lena wanted to tell Mae that she loved her more than everything in this life. She silently swore that she would make Sinestro and Lillian pay for what they did, and that she would not stop until Cadmus was nothing more than a pile of ash.

“Sinestro will get what’s coming to him,” Cassie said, seemingly reading her thoughts. “I promise you.”

Lena didn’t look up. “Are you talking to me or to her?”

“Both.”

Lena finally looked at Cassie. The demigoddess’s eyes were hard with conviction as her thumb gently traced patterns on the top of Mae’s hand. Her fair skin sported a few bruises that Lena assumed were from the Cadmus fight, but they looked to be healing rather quickly. Perks of being half-god, Lena supposed.

“I never pictured myself being a mother.”

The words were out before she could stop them, and now Cassie was giving Lena her undivided attention. Lena felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she continued.

“I mean…I’ve never had the greatest experience with mothers. I barely knew my birth mother; I was really young when she passed, and my father wouldn’t talk about her, especially when Lillian was around which seemed like all the time. And speaking of Lillian, she did everything in her power to make sure that I understood that I would never be good enough to be called her daughter.” Lena couldn’t help but laugh at the memories. “She always favored Lex over me, but when my father died, her behavior got worse. She would lash out at me over pointless matters and those didn’t stop until Lex was arrested, and then she ignored me entirely.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lena said as she bit back tears. “It’s just that with everything that my brother and Lillian have done, the atrocities that they’ve committed, and with everything I’ve had to go through to rid myself of their legacy…”

“You didn’t want your child to go through that,” Cassie finished. “And you didn’t want the sins of your family to affect her.”

Lena nodded as tears fell down her cheeks. “Yes.”

The two sat in silence for several minutes. Lena was almost startled when Cassie spoke again.

“I know it’s probably not my place to say this, but you’re a great mom.”

Lena looked at Cassie in surprise. She certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that come out of the young girl’s mouth, or anything along the lines of that statement. The demigoddess looked back down at Mae, giving the girl’s hand a gentle squeeze. “When I first discovered my abilities, my mother didn’t want me to use them. She was terrified that I would become one of those ‘Supers’ traipsing around in their capes and end up getting myself killed. She even went so far as to ask my father for help, and he gave her the ability to take them away with just a single touch.”

Lena’s eyes widened. She understood the woman’s fear, but knew that this was a step too far.

“I kept my powers hidden knowing that they could be taken away in a moment’s notice. That was, until Mae came along and helped me become a member of Young Justice.” She paused, turning to look at Lena. “When Mae and I first started dating, she would gush about you and Supergirl, saying that you were the best mothers she could’ve ever hoped for. She told me about the times you’ve helped out with her science fair projects, how you would pull all-nighters to help her win. She told me that you went to every one of her school plays, even when she wasn’t one of the leads. She said you were the most hardworking and devoted person she has ever known. And when I finally met you, I could see it. You supported her in everything she did and made sure that she was given everything she needed to succeed. You’re not just a great mother, Lena. You’re a _fantastic_ one. And when Mae wakes up, she’ll tell you the exact same thing I am.”

Lena couldn’t hold her tears back any longer. She sobbed into her hand, trying to process all of these emotions. Cassie was crying as well.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“No, it’s…it’s alright,” Lena managed to croak out. “Thank you, Cassie. That means a lot to me.”

Cassie smiled, giving Lena a small nod. They sat there for a few moments before Kara walked in.

“Lena, you ready to go?” She noticed the redness in Lena’s eyes and cheeks. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, yes, everything’s fine.” Lena stood up, wiping away her remaining tears with the back of her hand. “Thank you again, Cassie, for everything.”

“Anytime.”

With that, Kara and Lena left the medical ward and headed down to the balcony. Kara turned to look at Lena.

“My place or yours?”

Lena looked back, taking Kara’s hand in hers. The blonde’s hand was warm to the touch and it helped Lena feel more at ease. “Yours, if you don’t mind.”

Kara smiled. “Not at all.”

 

\--------------------------------

 

Lena woke up in a cold sweat a few hours later, a hoarse scream escaping her lips. Her heart was thundering against her sternum, each intake of oxygen feeling like she was swallowing sharp knives.

“Lena!”

A light to Lena’s right appeared, startling her. Kara was standing by the edge of the bed and was staring at Lena, a glass of water in her hand and her face contorted with worry.

“Are you alright? I heard a scream.”

Lena remembered that they were in Kara’s apartment, letting out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“It’s okay,” Kara mused, climbing in next to Lena and handing her the glass of water. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

Lena furrowed her brow as she took a sip. “Why not?”

Kara didn’t say anything for several seconds, which made Lena anxious. “I was so worried about you.”

“You were worried?”

“Of course I was, Lee. One minute, we were carrying Mae out of that awful room, the next…you were nowhere to be seen.”

Lena’s breath caught in her throat. Kara was talking about Cadmus.

“Cassie and I met Alex at the entrance when I realized you weren’t behind us,” Kara continued. “I wanted to go back for you, but Alex told me that she would, that my first priority should be getting Mae back to the DEO. I left as Cassie led Alex and the others back the way we came, flying as fast as I could. Alex called me minutes later, saying that they were on the way back. She also told me while you were up visiting Mae that when she found you, you were pretty shaken up and that Sinestro was somehow involved.” Kara paused, taking a hold of Lena’s hand and squeezing it. “I don’t know what he did to you, Lee, or if you’re ready to talk about it, but I swear to you that he will never come near you again.”

Lena teared up as Kara placed a soft kiss on her top of her hand. Her love for the Kryptonian woman had never been stronger or more well-placed. She cupped Kara’s face with her free hand and pulled the woman in for a long, hard kiss.

“What did I do to deserve someone like you?”

Kara stroked Lena’s cheek with her thumb, a small smile growing on her face. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

Lena laughed, genuine happiness rising within her as she kissed the top of Kara’s nose.

“I love you, Kara Danvers.”

Kara’s smile grew bigger. “And I love you, Lena Luthor.”

Kara pulled Lena in for another kiss, this one lasting longer than any of their other kisses. Lena curled up next to Kara as the blonde turned off the light, wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist. Kara planted a small kiss on the top of Lena’s head as her scent overwhelmed Lena, a combination of honey and lavender. Exhaustion swept over Lena and she closed her eyes, the sound of Kara’s heartbeat lulling her into a deep sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena recounts what happened to her back at Cadmus to Kara and another Super-Family reunion takes place.

The sun was beginning to peek its head through the window, another night coming to an end. Kara ran her fingers through Lena’s dark hair as the CEO slept, letting out an exhausted sigh. She had barely gotten a wink of sleep as Lena continued to have nightmares throughout the night. At one point, Lena kept crying “You were dead” over and over as Kara gently rocked her back and forth, trying to get her to go back to sleep. That lasted a little over an hour. Kara hated seeing Lena like this. Alex had told her that she and her team had found Lena with Sinestro back in the room where Mae was being held, which made Kara’s hair stand on end. Sinestro did something to Lena, Kara just wanted to know what. And why did he do it? Kara wanted to know desperately, but she wasn’t going to push Lena if the woman wasn’t ready to talk. Right now, she was content with comforting her girlfriend and making sure that she was well rested.

 _Girlfriend._ It felt weird referring to Lena as her girlfriend now, especially since they haven’t had the conversation regarding it yet. Granted, so much had happened these past few days and there were obviously much more pressing matters to deal with at the moment, like finding Sinestro and taking down Cadmus, they could have the conversation later. Kara closed her eyes. At least Mae was safe now. That’s all that mattered.

Kara sat up slowly and got out of bed, careful to not wake Lena up. She made a quick call to CatCo, telling Snapper that she wouldn’t be coming in for the day as she was dealing with a family emergency. Technically, it wasn’t a lie, so that made her feel a little better. Kara also called Alex to see if there were any updates on Mae’s condition. The agent had stayed the night at the DEO per J’onn’s request, but Kara knew that Alex would’ve stayed regardless.

_“She’s still sleeping, but she’s looking a lot better than she did last night, so there’s a chance that she might wake up soon. You still coming in today?”_

Kara’s heart soared at the good news. “Yeah. Thanks, Alex.”

_“Don’t mention it. How’s Lena doing?”_

“She’s fine, she’s still asleep.” Kara paused. “Alex, do you know what happened to her?”

_“What do you mean?”_

“You said Sinestro was with her when you found her back at Cadmus. Did he do something to her?”

_“Honestly, I’m not sure. I told you as much last night, but she did seem pretty convinced that you and Mae were…”_

Alex stopped before she could say anymore, but Kara noticed. “That Mae and I were _what?_ ”

Silence. _“It’s not mine to tell. You’ll have to ask Lena.”_

Kara looked over at Lena. The sun’s rays were now stretched across the length of the bed, illuminating Lena’s face and making her look like one of those portraits she would see in a museum. She looked so beautiful and peaceful laying there that Kara wished she could stay like that for a little while longer.

“I just want her to be okay,” Kara said softly.

_“I know, sweetie. And she will be if you help her. Just ask her.”_

At that moment, Lena began to stir. Kara hung up after telling Alex goodbye and walked over to the bed, climbing back in beside Lena and giving her a kiss.

“Good morning, sleepy-head.”

Lena groaned as she sat up and stretched. “Who were you talking to?”

“Alex,” Kara replied. “Mae’s still asleep, but I was going to go by there later today to see her. Do you want to come?”

Lena nodded. “I’ll have Jess clear my day.”

Kara’s stomach growled, so she decided to go get some breakfast while Lena made the call to L-Corp, flying to her favorite donut shop and bringing back two boxes. Lena was still lying in bed.

“You hungry?” Kara asked, holding up one of the boxes. “I know how much you like donuts.”

“You know me so well,” Lena smirked as she rolled out of bed. Kara carried the box over to the living room and sat it down on the table, Lena joining her on the couch.

“How did you sleep?”

“Like a baby,” Kara said as she scarfed down her second donut. Lena arched an eyebrow.

“Kara, you’re a terrible liar.”

Kara looked down, taking another bite of donut. “I slept…a little…”

“I kept you up, didn’t I?”

Kara looked back up at Lena, her heart sinking once she saw the crestfallen look on the CEO’s face.

“Lena, sweetie, it’s okay,” she said, intertwining their hands together. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

“No, Kara, it’s not.” Lena pulled her hand away and covered her face with her palms. “I’m so embarrassed and I’m so sorry. I should’ve just gone home.”

“Lena, look at me,” Kara whispered, leaning in to brush a strand of hair behind Lena’s hair. “Lena.”

The CEO turned towards the blonde slightly, her eyes still closed.

“Lena, you do not have to apologize for this. You had a nightmare, that’s okay. I don’t mind staying up the entire night comforting you if it helps you get some sleep.”

Lena started to cry and Kara immediately wrapped her up in a hug, gently rocking her back and forth and placing several kisses in her hair.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena cried, burying her face into Kara’s neck. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Kara mused as she rubbed Lena’s back, Alex’s words from earlier coming back to her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Lena tensed up, giving Kara her answer.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Kara quickly said. “It’s just that I’ve had a lot of experiences with nightmares and I’ve found that talking about them with someone helps, even if only a little.”

Lena sat up and looked at Kara, her green eyes now red and wide with tears. “Kara, I’m…I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kara smiled slightly. “How could you have?”

Lena returned the smile as Kara stroked her cheek, wondering how on earth she was deserving of Kara’s love and understanding.

“Why did you think I was dead?”

Lena took a deep shaky breath before she began. “We had just found Mae. She was in your arms, alive and breathing. We were all so relieved with getting her back that I didn’t notice Lillian standing there with a gun in her hand. She pointed it at you and…I snapped. I tackled her and I beat the living shit out of her. I didn’t stop until I heard Cassie’s voice yelling at me to stop. That was when I saw you and Mae…” Lena started to tear up again as she took Kara’s hand and squeezed it as tight as she could. “You were dead, Kara. I held your body in my arms, begging you to come back to me. But you didn’t.”

Lena looked down at her lap, her free hand trembling slightly. Kara’s eyes were wide with shock, which was quickly replaced with anger. “Did Sinestro…did he do this to you?”

“I don’t know,” Lena shrugged, tears streaming down her cheeks. “What I saw at Cadmus and the dreams last night…they felt so _real_. I kept losing you over and over again. I don’t even know if this, right now, is real.”

Kara pulls Lena closer to her, closing the distance between them with a long, passionate kiss. “This _is_ real,” Kara breathed, placing Lena’s hand over her heart. “I’m real. We’re real. And I promise you that we always will be.”

Lena smiled as more tears raced down her face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. So much.”

They kiss again, their lips wet with each other’s tears. Lena snuggles against Kara’s shoulder as Kara rests her cheek atop Lena’s head.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Kara said, placing another soft kiss on Lena’s hair. “I promise.”

\----------------------------

They arrived at the DEO a few hours later, Kara’s fingers interlaced with Lena’s. She kissed Lena’s hand as the latter went to go find Cassie. Lena told Kara about her and the demigoddess’s conversation the previous night, and Kara couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll meet you back here soon, then,” Kara said as she went off to find J’onn. She didn’t have to look long as he was where he always was: the main control room, staring up at the screens with the same scowl on his face.

“Have we found him yet?”

J’onn turned around, his face softening when he saw Kara. “Good afternoon, Supergirl. And no, we haven’t found him yet. We are scouring every corner of this city. He can’t hide forever.”

Kara folded her arms across her chest, her fingers digging into her bicep. She knew that Sinestro did something to Lena, did something to her mind to make her see things that weren’t there, and he was going to pay for making her girlfriend suffer. Kara was daydreaming about hurling Sinestro into space when a deep voice brought her back to reality.

“Kara?”

She spun around to see James with a confused look on his face. “James! What are you doing here?”

“Winn told me everything that’s been going on,” James replied. Kara swallowed nervously. “Everything?”

“Yeah.” James placed his hands on his hips, his brow furrowed. “Cadmus again, huh? Is everything alright?”

Kara relaxed, but only slightly. “Uh, yeah. They attacked the press conference a few days ago and we’ve been trying to track them down ever since.” Which was kind of true. Kara was still on the fence on whether or not to let James in on what was really going on. She was unsure of how he would react to _certain_ parts.

“Snapper told me you also had a family emergency,” James said. “Is Alex alright? Did Cadmus take her?”

A voice cut Kara off before she could respond. “No, Alex is right here and she is doing great. A little hungry, but other than that, I’m fine.”

Alex was now standing beside to J’onn, a smirk adorning her face. Kara rolled her eyes. “If you wanted food, I could’ve flown somewhere.”

Before Alex could retort, James put his hand up. “Okay, what is going on?” He turned to look at Kara. “You’ve been acting strange all week, Kara. First at Noonan’s, then you don’t show up after the press conference, and now you claim to have a family emergency when your family is right here and seems to be fine. So tell me, please,” James takes a step towards Kara, “tell me what is going on.”

Kara’s eyes dart back and forth between Alex and J’onn, the two agents also giving each other a look. James noticed this. “Do y’all know something too?” he asked, his finger pointing to something behind them. “And what’s _she_ doing here?”

Alex and J’onn turn around to see Lena walking their way, slowing her pace as soon as she saw James.

“Mr. Olsen,” Lena greeted coolly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Luthor?” James growled, striding towards Lena. “How did you even get in here?”

“She’s with me.” Kara was now standing in between Lena and James, anger brewing in her blue eyes. “I brought her here.”

“What do you mean you brought her here?”

“Exactly that. Is that a problem?”

“SHE’S A LUTHOR, KARA! SHE CAN’T BE TRUSTED!”

James’s outburst had grabbed the attention of the entire DEO, or at least, that’s what it felt like to Kara when countless pairs of eyes turned towards them. The Kryptonian felt the rage rising in her as she clenched her jaw, her fists shaking by her sides.

“ _She is not her last name_ ,” Kara spoke through gritted teeth. “Anymore than I am. I know you and Superman have had trouble with Lex in the past, but Lena is not her brother. She is better and stronger and kinder, so don’t you _dare_ compare her to Lex. She doesn’t deserve this treatment from you, she deserves better. And by the way, _I_ trust her. I always have and I always will.”

She turned to look at Lena, whose eyes were wide and shining, eyes that Kara had always thought were akin to rare emeralds: beautiful and exquisite, and the longer she looked into them, the calmer she became. Lena gave Kara a thankful smile, taking Kara’s hand and squeezing it lightly. Kara returned the smile and the squeeze, her love for Lena growing by the minute. James’s eyes flitted between the two women, trying to decipher the looks they were giving each other, before it dawned on him.

“Wait…” he said, trying to hide the frustration in his voice, “don’t tell me you two are… _together_.”

Kara felt Lena tense up beside her and before she could respond, Garfield sprinted into the room, almost barreling into James.

“Sorry, sorry!” Garfield said as he struggled to regain his balance, James staring at him incredulously, but the almost-accident had failed to remove the grin plastered to the green boy’s face.

“Garfield, what is it?” Alex inquired.

“It’s Mae,” Garfield exclaimed, his pointy teeth shining as he smiled. “She’s awake.”

\--------------------------

A bright yellow light was the first thing Mae saw when she opened her eyes. For a second, she thought she was back home, flying over the city as the sun warmed her back with her mothers not too far behind her. Cassie is right beside her, smiling and holding her hand, the wind flying through her golden hair. She looks so beautiful, as she always does. Cassie loved to fly and Mae loved flying with her as much as she actually loved her. She squeezed her girlfriend’s hand tighter and thought she heard a gasp.

_“Mae?”_

Mae blinked, her surroundings coming into focus. The light became three lights, which she recognized to be sun lamps.

_Where am I?_

She sat up slowly, her body aching all over, her head throbbing. She was in a small bed, surrounded by lots of medical equipment and machines. Mae let out a breath of relief. She was back at the DEO, away from that god-awful cage. Away from Lillian Luthor.

Away from Sinestro.

“Mae?”

That voice. She heard it a few days ago through a radio. But now it seemed to be… _real?_ It couldn’t be…

“Cass?”

Mae felt something in her palm, something warm and soft. A hand. She gave it a squeeze and it squeezed back. Her heart leapt in her chest. Could it be…?

She turned and saw Cassandra Sandsmark sitting next to her, looking as beautiful as Mae had ever seen her despite her face being stained with day-old tears.

“Cass?” Mae’s eyes flew open. “What…how are you here?”

Cassie cut her off with a kiss, new tears breaking forth from her eyes. Mae kissed her back, long and hard. Oh Rao, how she’s been waiting to do that. She broke away only to take a breath, but rested her forehead against Cassie’s, her thumbs brushing away stray tears on the latter’s cheeks.

“I’ve missed you,” Mae whispered.

Cassie smiled. “I’ve missed you too.”

Mae furrowed her brow, tears welling up in her eyes. “How did you find me? I…I thought you didn’t hear me.”

“I didn’t,” Cassie replied. “But somehow Victor managed to track your location through the transmission. I don’t how he did it, but I’m glad he did.”

Mae couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. He is half-machine after all, Cass.”

“Mae?”

Mae turned around to see Kara and Lena standing in the doorway, flanked by J’onn, Alex, and… _Garfield?_ He was here too? But before she could think any longer on that, she was being smothered in a big, blue hug courtesy of Kara.

“Thank Rao you’re alright.”

Mae reciprocated the hug, looking over Kara’s shoulder to see Lena, her green eyes locked on hers.

“Lena.”

As if the sound of her name was an invitation, Lena walked over and wrapped Mae in her arms.

“I thought I lost you,” Lena choked, hard sobs coursing through her body.

Mae rubbed her mother’s back, trying to calm her down. “You didn’t,” Mae whispered back. “You saved me.”

Lena cried harder as Kara kissed the top of her head. Mae heard J’onn and the others leave, the Martian telling the group to give Mae and her family some space. She silently thanked J’onn, wishing that he could hear her thoughts.

“I was worried,” Lena said after a few moments, “that I wouldn’t have the chance to say this to you.” Lena pulled back, her cheeks splotched a bright red. “I love you, Mae. I know we haven’t known each other for that long, but…I’m so glad to have you as a daughter. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Mae smiled through her own tears. “I love you too, Mom.”

Lena smiled, placing a kiss on Mae’s forehead. Kara did the same, murmuring her love for her girls as well. The three of them sat there in an embrace for the longest time, but Mae didn’t mind. She had her family here. That was all that mattered.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Kara have a heated discussion, Lena learns more about Sinestro's abilities as well as her own, and shit gets real once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd give you guys a little present in honor of Supergirl returning to our screens tonight. :D
> 
> I'll be live tweeting the episode so if you want to join me, follow me on Twitter @danigobingo. See you tonight!

James stood with his arms crossed outside the medical ward, watching the reunion before him unfold. It just didn’t make any sense to him. The way that Kara and Lena interacted with the girl as if they knew her, both women showering her with hugs and kisses as tears ran down their cheeks. And the way Kara and Lena were looking at each other, touching each other…James didn’t know what to make of it. There was also that green boy that nearly knocked him off his feet earlier. This whole situation was getting stranger and stranger by the second.

“Hey, buddy!”

James turned to see Winn bounding up the stairs to him sporting his trademark goofy grin. “What are you still doing up here?”

James didn’t respond. Winn followed his eyes into the room. “Ah,” he said. “Not what you were expecting, huh?”

James huffed. “I just can’t believe it.”

“None of us did, man. Hell, I still can’t believe it,” Winn said, patting James on the shoulder. “Who knew that our Supergirl would be a mom?”

James’s head snapped towards Winn. “What?”

Winn took a slight step back, holding his hands out in front of him. “Oh, did Kara not tell you…?”

“What do you think?” James huffed angrily. There were apparently a lot of things that Kara wasn’t telling him lately. Despite protests from Winn, James stormed into the room, determined to get some straight answers from the Kryptonian.

“Kara, can I speak with you? In private?”

The room became tense and still, the sounds of each person’s heartbeat filling the silence.

“Um, sure,” Kara said as she stood up, giving a quick nod to Lena and Mae before exiting the room with James. Once they were outside, James rounded on Kara.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Kara?” He didn’t bother to hide the clear frustration in his voice. He just wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Kara furrowed her brow. “Tell you what? About Lena and me?”

“No.” James shook his head. “Well, yes, that, but the other thing.”

“What other thing?”

“ _You have a_ _daughter!_ ”

Kara exaggerated a shrug. “Apparently so.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to, James. Really I was. But so many things started happening at once.”

“Like what, Cadmus? Is that going to be your go-to excuse this time?”

Kara glared at James, rage emanating from her bones. “Cadmus did happen. They took Mae, tortured her, and we fought like hell to get her back. In fact, we only got her back not even 24 hours ago, so I would greatly appreciate it if you stop acting like I ran over your puppy and start acting like a friend, because I sure as hell need one right now!”

James blinked, taking a step back. “I…I’m sorry, Kara. I didn’t know.”

“How could you have?” Kara crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You were too busy shouting insults at my girlfriend before I could tell you.”

“Wait, what?” James’s eyes widened. “ _Girlfriend?_ ”

“I mean, we haven’t had the conversation yet, but I’m pretty sure she feels the same way as I do…and we have a daughter together in the future, so that must count for something.”

James’s jaw was practically on the floor as Kara continued to ramble. Lena and Kara were indeed together, so that explains the looks they were giving each other earlier. And Lena was Mae’s other parent? How exactly did that work? He shook his head. There were too many questions and not enough answers.

“Slow down, Kara, slow down. Are you sure getting together with Lena Luthor is a good idea?”

Kara groaned, rolling her eyes. “Can we not have this conversation again please?”

“I’m just trying to look out for you, Kara. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I appreciate that, James, but as I’ve told you many, many times before, Lena isn’t Lex. And were you not listening to what I’ve been saying? We have a daughter together, so I’d say we’re pretty good in the relationship department. Also, have you met Mae? She’s amazing.”

James huffed. “I know, Kara, but they grew up in the same house. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Kara took a step closer to James, her blue eyes piercing into his soft brown ones. “You forget that Lena has helped us many times to stop her family and Cadmus from ruining peoples’ lives. How she doesn’t have your full trust now is beyond me.” She scoffed. “I guess it’s easier to hold onto your old grudge than admit you were wrong about her.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked back to the medical ward. James let out an annoyed sigh. Ever since he became Guardian, he and Kara haven’t been on the best of terms, or rather how they used to be. Before the Red Kryptonite, before Cadmus and the Daxamites, before…well, everything that had happened the past year. He longed to go back to the times where it was just him, Kara, and Winn, the original team.

Well, maybe just him and Kara.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t still have feelings for her. It was hard at first seeing Kara with Mon-El, but he had learned to make peace with it after a while. After they broke up, James thought about asking Kara if they could get back together, but decided against it after seeing how heartbroken she was, telling himself she needed some space and time to properly heal. But now she was with Lena Luthor? James knew he was probably overreacting, but he knew how that family operated, what they’ve done and what they continue to do, and he didn’t want Kara to be a part of that, future daughter or not. James looked down at his watch, debating on whether or not to call Clark. One push of a button, that’s all it’ll take. He swung his arm down in defeat, knowing that he would make the situation worse if he did. James put his hands in his pockets as he walked past the medical ward, gazing in to see Kara smiling with Lena and Mae. He couldn’t help but smile as well. She looked happy with them, and all James wanted was to see Kara happy.

_“All agents report to the main control room immediately. Repeat, all agents report to the main control room immediately.”_

James looked around as several agents were rushing past him, confused as to what the emergency was. He locked eyes with Kara through the glass window, the happiness in her eyes quickly replaced with worry. They gave each other a quick but solemn nod, willing to put aside their differences for now. Right now, there were more important matters to attend to.

\--------------------------

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?”

Lena had lost count of how many times she had asked Mae that. The girl rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. “I’m fine, Mom. I’ve told you a hundred times already.”

 _Mom_. Lena couldn’t help but smile at the title. She never thought she would hear someone call her that and, if she was being honest, it felt quite strange to hear it. But in a good way, she decided.

“Try one hundred and four,” Kara quipped. Lena shot her a look as the blonde failed to contain her laughter. Lena couldn’t be mad, though. In fact, she was the happiest she had been in a long time. That feeling quickly faded as James Olsen entered the room, aggravation etched in each of his features.

“Kara, can I speak with you? In private?”

His eyes landed on Lena as he spoke the last part, his eyes filled with what Lena recognized as contempt, distrust, hatred: looks she was all too used to.

“Um, sure.” She turned to look at Kara, the blonde giving her a look that immediately calmed her. Kara just had this effect on her, that one look was all it took to help Lena relax. After James and Kara left, Lena was left alone with Mae, the silence in the room deafening. Her heart quickened its pace; she had never been alone with Mae. The two times that she had been with Mae, Kara had been there with them, and Mae was unconscious for one of those times. Lena was unsure of what to say to her, but before she could think of something, Mae reached over and squeezed her hand.

“You okay?”

Lena looked up at Mae, her bright blue eyes shining with concern. She had Kara’s eyes, and God, did Lena love those eyes. She often found herself daydreaming about them, longing to drown in them as each one held an ocean waiting for someone to dive into them. Mae looked so much like Kara, from her eyes to her smile to that crinkle in between her eyes. Lena wondered how someone as broken as she was could’ve made something so beautiful.

“Yeah, yes. I’m fine,” Lena said, squeezing Mae’s hand reassuringly. And she was. Kara and Mae were both alive and safe and away from Cadmus and the clutches of her mother, which was more than she could’ve asked for. However, Sinestro was still out there, and that made Lena terrified of what was coming next. Mae seemed to sense this.

“Well, your heartbeat’s telling me otherwise,” she said, pointing to her ear. “Super-hearing.”

Lena let out a breathy laugh, her nerves feeling as if they were on fire. “I’m fine, really. I’m just really glad you and Kara are alright.”

“I am too,” Mae smiled. “Thank you for saving me, by the way. It must have been terrifying going in there without your ring.”

Lena furrowed her brow. Sinestro had mentioned something about her having a ring back at Cadmus. “What ring?”

Mae looked down at her lap, the color rising steadily in her cheeks. Lena took notice of this. _Was she not supposed to tell me that? Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything._ Mae swallowed nervously before she spoke.

“Let’s just say, Supergirl isn’t the only superhero parent that I have.”

Lena tilted her head slightly, giving Mae a quizzical look. “I’m a superhero?”

Mae nodded excitedly. “Complete with a cool power-set and everything.”

 _I have powers?? But how?_ As far as Lena knew, she didn’t have special abilities, or did she…?

“You have a ring,” Mae said, sensing her question, “that gives you the ability to harness your willpower and create energy constructs with it. Basically, you can create a variety of weapons using just your mind. It’s pretty cool, if you ask me.”

Lena stared at Mae, trying to process the information given to her as several questions popped up in her mind. How did she get the ring? When did she get it? What other abilities did it give her? She could control her willpower? What did that even mean?

_Focus, Lena, focus._

“Sinestro told me that he was part of something called the Yellow Lantern Corps,” Lena muttered. “Am I…part of that as well?”

“Oh Rao, no!” Mae exclaimed with a horrified expression on her face. “No, no.” She paused. “You’re part of the Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro used to be a member, but he went rogue and joined the Yellow Lantern Corps. In fact, you were the one who first took him out.”

Lena blushed. She did that? “What abilities do the Yellow Lantern Corps possess?”

Mae paused, a look of apprehension in her eyes. “They harness the fear of others by making them see visions of their worst fear.”

Lena felt like she was going to be sick as Sinestro’s words returned to her.

_“Fear does strange things to the mind. It makes you behave irrationally, make you act in ways you would not usually act.”_

_“I was going to do this to your lover, but you, oh, you are so much better.”_

All of a sudden, it clicked for Lena. That’s why Sinestro’s ring was overflowing with energy. He was feeding off her fear, accumulating power from it. And he was originally planning to do it to _Kara?_ The thought made Lena’s blood boil.

“Has Sinestro ever used his ring on you?” The question felt like bile in Lena’s throat, but she had to know.

“Once,” Mae replied quietly, her eyes fixated on her lap. “He’s used it on all of us.”

Lena felt her body stiffen. Not only did Sinestro keep Mae in a Kryptonite cage like an animal, he had made her live through her worst fear for God knows how long. What was Mae’s worst fear? It must have been something terrible judging by the look on the girl’s face. Lena clenched her jaw. The man was a monster, and if he thought for a moment that he was going to get away with this, he was sorely mistaken.

“Did he use it on you?”

Lena’s mouth went dry at the question, the nightmares from last night flooding back to her. Suddenly, Mae wasn’t there in the medical ward, but dead on the floor, all color drained from her skin. Her chest seemed to tighten, each breath becoming more constricted than the last. Mae enveloped Lena in a strong embrace, gently rocking her back and forth.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Mae whispered, the back of her eyes burning with tears. Lena was biting back her own tears as she tightened her hold on Mae, reminding herself that her daughter was here in her arms, alive and breathing.

_Alive. She’s alive._

“I’m sorry,” Lena sniffed, the words burning her throat. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Mae pulled back and looked Lena in the eye. “Sinestro will get what’s coming to him. I’m going to make him rue the day he decided to mess with our family.”

Mae’s eyes were shining with tears and rage, mirroring Lena’s own eyes. She nodded her agreement vehemently. Sinestro was going to burn in hell for all the pain he has caused, along with Lillian and Cadmus, and Lena wouldn’t stop until he was.

Kara returned to the medical ward just then, anger written on her face as well. “I swear, he can be such an ignorant jerk sometimes…are you two alright?”

Lena wiped their tears with the back of their hands. “Yeah, we’re fine.” Mae nodded her agreement.

Kara smiled. “I’m glad.”

She reclaimed her spot next to Mae and brushed a strand of hair behind the girl’s ear. “I love you both so much.”

Lena’s heart swelled. “I love you too. Both of you.”

Mae smiled as her mothers gave her a kiss on each cheek. “You guys are so embarrassing.”

“Oh, we’re embarrassing?” Kara mocked. “How about you and Cassie and your little reunion earlier? Don’t think we didn’t see it.”

Mae’s cheeks burned a bright red as she groaned, burying her head in her hands. Lena and Kara were dying laughing as Mae shouted at them to stop. Lena looked over at Kara, the blonde’s smile spreading across her entire face. She had never looked more beautiful than she did when she was smiling in that moment.

_How did I get so lucky?_

Her thoughts were cut off by a loud voice coming through the speakers.

_“All agents report to the main control room immediately. Repeat, all agents report to the main control room immediately.”_

Lena looked over at Kara, who was looking out the window along with Mae. They all got up and joined the horde that was forming outside, joining James as they descended the stairs. Lena’s mind was whirring and her heart was pounding against her sternum. What was going on?

She saw J’onn in the middle of the main control room, his hands on his hips and his mouth in a thin line, Winn working up a sweat at his side. The members of Young Justice were there as well, standing next to Vasquez, who was sporting a decent-sized bandage on her shoulder, and Samuels. Lena held onto Kara and Mae’s hands as they made their way through the crowd, people making a way for them when they saw the Supergirl outfit.

“Alright, people, listen up!” J’onn’s voice was thunderous, echoing across the room. “I got good news and bad news. The good news is we now have a location on Sinestro, so we got to move fast.”

Excited chatter broke throughout the room. Lena’s heart stopped, her grip on Kara’s hand tightening. They found him?

“Where is he?” Kara shouted, quieting the room.

“That’s the bad news,” Winn said. “He’s here.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sinestro and the DEO face off within the organization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE!! Writer's block was a bitch this entire week, but hopefully updates will be quicker and better in the future.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience, your comments, and your kudos. They mean the world to me and it makes me so happy that so many of you are enjoying my story. You guys are the best!

How the hell did Sinestro get into Cadmus?

That was the question on everyone’s minds and lips as each agent scrambled to their posts. Mae watched as the DEO descended into organized madness around her. She could hear Lena’s heartbeat steadily rise, her breaths becoming shallower. Her grip on her mother’s hand tightened, blue eyes locking with green as she gave Lena a reassuring nod.

“Where is he?” Mae saw every muscle in Kara’s body tense as she stalked towards J’onn and Winn, the latter typing furiously on his keyboard.

“I’m working on it, I’m working on it.” Winn’s eyes were glued to the screen as his fingers punched random numbers and letters, his face gleaming with a thin layer of sweat.

“Well, work faster, Schott!” Alex had just entered the room, locked and loaded and ready for battle. “In case you haven’t noticed, our location’s been compromised by an alien asshole from the future.”

“I’m working as fast as I can!” Winn shouted back. “But all of the cameras are down. He must have shut them off somehow.”

“Alright.” J’onn turned to address Vasquez. “Initiate a full scale lockdown. No one gets in or out.”

“Right away, sir.”

All at once, every entryway leading into the main control room was shut, including the balcony opening and the door to the medical ward. There was nowhere for Sinestro to go, or the rest of them for that matter.

“Are you guys alright?”

Cassie and the guys had made their way over to where Mae and Lena were standing. Lena nodded anxiously as Mae wrapped Cassie in a hug and placed a soft kiss on the demigoddess’s cheek.

“The sooner we find him, the better,” Mae said. All of the events of the past day and a half came flooding back to her just then, the torture that Sinestro and Lillian had made her endure, caused a new rush of anger and fear to course through her body.

“Mae.” Cassie pulled back slightly, her crystal blue eyes filled with concern. “I know what you’re thinking, and _no_.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You are not going up against Sinestro.”

“Cass, I’m fine,” Mae said. “I can handle myself.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “I know you can, babe. I’ve seen you in battle and I’ve been by your side during some, but that’s not what I mean. You just got out of recovery and Sinestro is probably looking for you.”

“He’s not,” Mae growled as she looked down. “He’s looking for my parents.”

Lena’s head snapped in Mae’s direction, her brow furrowed. “Why is he looking for us?”

Mae reluctantly met her mother’s eyes. “To kill you.”

Lena’s eyes went wide at the revelation, her heart dropping down to her stomach. Why did Sinestro want to kill her? Mae had said that Lena had thwarted Sinestro in the past, so it would make sense for him to want to exact revenge, but why did he want to kill Kara? As far as Lena knew, Kara had nothing to do with whatever quarrel she and Sinestro had. Nevertheless, Lena wasn’t going to let anything happen to Kara, not after what happened—or rather, didn’t happen—back at Cadmus. Lena looked over at Kara, who met her eyes; she must’ve heard what Mae had said. Almost immediately, Kara rushed over and enveloped Lena in a tight hug, which Lena reciprocated.

_He won’t touch her. He won’t even get near her. Not while I’m here._

“Got it!” Winn yelled as he raised both of his arms high. “He’s in the hangar. The one with the jump-ship.”

Alex cocked her gun as other agents did the same. “Ready to engage when you are, boss.”

“Alright, Agent Danvers.” J’onn turned to face the team before him. “Listen up, people. I want this to be handled swiftly and efficiently, but I want every single one of you to be careful. We’ve never faced anything like this before, so be on guard.”

“What would you have us do with him, sir?” Samuels asked.

“I would rather you capture him alive, but if it comes down to it, neutralize the threat in any way you see fit. Alright, let’s move!”

J’onn and Alex led the team of agents toward the westward door, the Young Justice team following closely behind after Cassie gave Mae a quick kiss. James wanted to go, but Winn quickly told him that that was a bad idea. James was adamant, so J'onn allowed him to search the rest of the building in case Sinestro had brought back-up or had another trick up his sleeve.

 Kara let go of Lena and began to walk over to join them as Winn opened the door to let them through. 

“Where are you going?” Lena asked.

Kara turned around. “To end this.”

“Mom, _no_.”

Mae was now standing in front of Lena, the expression in her blue eyes mirroring Kara’s. “You can’t go with them.”

“Look, I am not letting what happened to you and Lena happen to anyone else,” Kara said, her tone hard. “I won’t let it happen again. The both of you need to get somewhere safe.”

“Bullshit! I’m not going anywhere!” Mae rounded on Kara, the rising anger radiating off of her. “If anyone from this family is going to fight, it may as well be me.”

“Absolutely not.” They both turned towards Lena, who was also surprised at the sound of her own voice. “I almost lost you once, I don’t plan on doing it again.”

“I have my powers back, I’ll be fine,” Mae retorted. “Besides, I’m the one who brought Sinestro here and put all of you in danger. If anything happened to you…” Mae looked away, unable to finish, but Lena understood. If she or Kara were to die, Mae would die as well, and Lena didn’t want to think about how she would react if that were to happen. Kara seemed to understand as well as she started to relax a little bit.

“You’re not going in alone,” she said.

Mae gave her mothers a small smile. “I’m never alone.”

\---------------------

Alex tightened her grip on her gun as she made her way down the hall towards the hangar, a sense of deja-vu washing over her. She had expected Kara to follow them in, hell, to be up with her and J’onn, but she had stayed behind. Alex didn’t know why, but half of her was glad that Kara didn’t follow. The other half wished that she did. At least the Young Justice team was with them; that gave Alex some comfort.

The group approached the hangar door, moving into position on either side of it. “We’re here,” Alex spoke into her earpiece. “Open the door now, Winn.”

_“You got it, boss.”_

A few seconds later, the door clicked open and the agents rushed in, Alex leading the pack. They scoured the entire room for Sinestro, searching every nook and cranny, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Where the hell is he?” Tim demanded, his head on a swivel.

“It’s not unusual for Sinestro to hide in the shadows,” Cassie said. “He’s here somewhere.”

“Let me see if I can help,” Garfield said before he turned into a bloodhound. Alex observed incredulously as the green dog sniffed around the room.

“How is he able to do that?” she asked Cassie.

“Accident, when he was little,” Cassie responded.

Alex furrowed her brow. What kind of accident turns regular boys into colorful shape-shifters? Then again, she had heard about Barry Allen, the man who had gained speed powers after an “accident”, so who was she to question this? She was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of Garfield barking. She, Cassie, and Tim walked over to him to see what he found, but a blast of yellow light struck him from behind, sending the green boy catapulting across the room against the wall.

“Garfield!”

The green boy lay unconscious on the ground, back in his human form. Alex turned around to see Sinestro floating in midair, a wicked smile on his face.

“I must admit,” he said, “I wasn’t expecting you lot to take this long to find me. I thought you were all trained to find rogue aliens.”

Every agent in the room pointed their gun at Sinestro and fired at him, but the bullets bounced off of him, or rather the force field surrounding him. This earned a hearty chuckle from the alien. “Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. We both have jobs to do, and I would greatly appreciate it if you got out of my way so I could do mine.”

His ring glowed for a quick moment before hurtling another large blast of yellow energy towards the agents, sending them flying back.

“Well, now that you all have been taken care of, I shall be on my way.”

“Think again, you son of a bitch!”

Cassie cracked her lasso like a whip, charging it with silver lightning, her eyes shining with anger and sparks. Sinestro smirked. “Wonder Girl. Still very childish, I see. Both in the name and in the technique.”

“Try me,” Cassie sneered.

Sinestro smiled again as he sent a powerful blast towards Cassie, but she was easily able to maneuver it. She swung her lasso and caught Sinestro by the arm, pulling him towards her and punching him square in the nose. A loud battle cry echoed through the hangar as Tim’s bow staff came into contact with Sinestro’s back, sending him to the ground. Sinestro retaliated with a powerful punch to Tim’s chest, knocking the wind out of him, before Cassie entangled him with her lasso once more, the electricity in the rope shocking his body immensely. The Yellow Lantern cried out in agony as the demigoddess conducted wave after wave of self-made lightning through his body.

“This is for Mae,” Cassie said as she yanked Sinestro towards her, spinning once before delivering a final kick to the alien’s stomach. He landed hard on his back, the air rapidly escaping his lungs. Cassie breathed raggedly as she helped Tim up, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

“You alright?”

Tim feebly nodded, a bit of blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. All of a sudden, Cassie’s lasso was yanked out of her hand with incredible force, finding itself in Sinestro’s possession.

“I must say, you have quite a peculiar taste when it comes to your arsenal,” Sinestro said as he examined the lasso. “Mind if I give it a go?”

Before Cassie or Tim could retaliate, Sinestro whipped the lasso at lightning speed, wrapping it around the two teens. The lasso acted as a conduit for Sinestro’s ring as its energy raced through its material and zapped Cassie and Tim, causing both to cry out in pain. Sinestro laughed maniacally as he maintained his hold, releasing only when a stab of pain entered his shoulder.

“Hey, asshole! Remember me?”

He turned around to see Alex, gun in hand, her brown eyes as hard as sharp rocks in the ocean. Sinestro hissed, shrugging through the pain as he squared up to face her.

“Alexandra Danvers, I should’ve known. You look good. It’s a shame that you have to grow old.”

Alex cocked her gun and aimed it directly between Sinestro’s eyes. “No more games. I’m taking you in.”

Sinestro threw his head back and laughed. “You and what army?” He gestured around him. “As you can see, I made quick work of your ‘back-up’, so what makes you think you’ll fare any better?”

“She has _me_.”

Sinestro turned around just in time to see J’onn in full Martian form launch him into the air via uppercut. Sinestro managed to stabilize himself midair, rubbing his jaw with his fingers.

“I was beginning to wonder when you would show up,” he snarled.

“Here I am,” J’onn replied, his arms outstretched. “Why don’t you come down here so I can properly introduce myself?”

“Oh, I would like nothing more.”

Sinestro sped down and hit J’onn full force, sending the Martian sliding back into one of the helicopters. J’onn shook his head, roaring as he sprinted across the room, taking Sinestro in his hands and throwing him onto the ground. Alex watched as the two aliens traded several blows, each punch and kick harder than the last one. Both were bleeding and bruised when Sinestro finally cracked.

“Enough of this!”

He plunged a yellow dagger into J’onn’s abdomen, twisting it further into his stomach as the Martian coughed up crimson.

“NO!”

Alex looked on in horror as Sinestro pulled his knife out of her mentor, the large figure crumpling to the ground.

“And now,” Sinestro breathed out, his eyes shining a hideous yellow, “your turn.”

Alex could barely move. Her eyes were fixed upon the injured J’onn, who was quickly bleeding out. Sinestro stalked towards her, his knife raised above his head, a wicked hunger in his eyes and smile. Alex slowly raised her gun to meet him as if her arms had been replaced with blocks of concrete, a mixture of fear and anger coursing through her.

“You’re afraid,” Sinestro whispered through clenched teeth. “That’s good.” His knife began to shine brighter despite the dark blood covering it, but before he could plunge it into Alex’s throat, a beam of light knocked it out of his hand.

“You should've thought twice before messing with my sister, you piece of shit!”

Kara was floating in the air, her heat vision locked and loaded. Lena was directly beneath her, the gun in her hand pointed at Sinestro’s face. The Lantern roared as he started to speed towards the dark-haired woman, but was held in place by an invisible force. He tried to move, but nothing worked. Lena couldn’t help but smile.

“You should’ve also thought your plan through before messing with our daughter as well.”

Sinestro’s eyes widened as Mae came into his line of sight, her eyes barely containing a fierce blue rage.

“This is for my mother, you asshole.”

With a loud yell, Mae threw Sinestro against the wall with all of her strength, knocking the alien unconscious. Kara floated down and landed next to Mae, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze. Lena ran over and enveloped both of them in a hug, leaving kisses on both of their foreheads.

“Are you alright?” Kara asked her sister. Alex nodded as she let out a breath of relief.

It was over. For now.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of facing Sinestro: lots of comforting and reassuring going around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you guys like it!!!

Despite the fact that Sinestro was now locked up in a holding cell with tight security, an uneasy silence loomed over the DEO. Luckily, many of the agents that faced him didn’t sustain any major injuries; even Garfield was fortunate enough to walk away with just a few bruises and a minor concussion. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for J’onn. The Martian had just gotten out of an hours-long surgery, the wound that Sinestro had inflicted causing more damage than Alex had previously realized. Thankfully, she and her team were able to close the wound and stabilize J’onn’s condition, his breathing now steady. Alex had stayed by his side all afternoon, constantly checking his vitals and making sure he was breathing normally.

“Is he going to be alright?” Garfield asked, running a hand through his dark green hair.

Alex looked up for the first time in what felt like hours. Garfield and Mae were sitting across the room next to the other beds, which Tim and Cassie were occupying. Sinestro had done a number on them as well with his little trick with Cassie’s lasso, thick red rope marks adorning their arms and torsos, which Mae ran over with a cold rag.

“I don’t know,” Alex finally said, tears burning the back of her eyes. “I’ve seen several knife wounds during my time here and sport some myself, but I’ve never seen anything like this.” She shook her head, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. “It just…came out of nowhere.”

“He must’ve used his ring to create a construct of a knife. He’s done it before,” Mae said, her voice hollow. She looked up to meet Alex’s eyes. “J’onn will be fine, Alex. He’s tough. He’ll pull through this.”

Alex huffed, a shadow of a smile briefly passing over her face. The three continued to sit in silence, watching over their fallen comrades like guard dogs. After several minutes, Garfield spoke again.

“I’m going to see if they need any more help.”

With that, Garfield got up and went downstairs, leaving Alex and Mae alone with their thoughts and the patients.

“How are you holding up?” Mae’s voice was barely audible. Alex could practically feel her fighting the urge to cry. “I know it’s a stupid question to ask, but I need a distraction.”

Alex couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Don’t we all?” She met Mae’s eyes across the room. The girl’s hand was wrapped around Cassie’s, her thumb stroking the back of the demigoddess’s hand.

“I’ll be okay,” Alex said, her own hand resting on J’onn’s. “I’ll be better if he wakes up.”

“When,” Mae corrected, nodding her head. “And he will.”

Alex sniffed, a few stray tears escaping her eyes. “Can we say the same about your teammates?”

The resolve in Mae’s eyes vanished and was quickly replaced with uncertainty. She shook her head, remaining silent.

“I don’t know what he did to her,” she said, “or Tim. Sinestro…” Mae gritted her teeth. “I should’ve been there. I should’ve gotten there earlier, then maybe I could’ve stopped him, I could’ve saved them…”

“Mae,” Alex interrupted, “look at me.”

The half-Kryptonian slowly looked up, her blue eyes red and raw with unshed tears.

“Cassie will be okay,” Alex said, her voice quiet but reassuring. “If J’onn can pull through this, so can your girl.”

Mae closed her eyes as she rested her head against Cassie’s arm. “I can’t lose her,” she sobbed, her voice muffled by Cassie’s skin. “I can’t…”

Alex got up and sat herself down next to Mae, taking the girl up in her arms. “She said the same thing about you, you know. When Cadmus had you.” She stroked Mae’s hair gently as she continued. “She fought for you then, and I’m sure she’s fighting like hell for you right now. You picked a good one.”

Alex felt Mae’s laugh vibrate against her collarbone.

“She’s the best part of me.” Mae detached herself from her aunt, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “I love her so much, Alex. She’s…she’s my heart. I can’t do this without her.”

“You won’t have to.”

Both women turned to see Cassie’s eyes open and rest on Mae.

“Cassie!”

Mae practically flung herself at her girlfriend, peppering her cheek with wet kisses. “Thank Rao you’re alright!”

“Mae, I can’t breathe.”

Mae quickly released the demigoddess, helping her sit up slowly. “I thought I lost you there for a split second. I was so scared.”

Cassie stroked Mae’s cheek. “I’m alright, babe. I’ll always come back to you. We promised each other that, right?”

Mae nodded, fresh tears racing down her face. “Yeah.”

She leaned in and kissed Cassie full on the lips, her fingers running through her girlfriend’s hair as she deepened the kiss. Alex rolled her eyes and faked a gag.

“Ugh. Get a room, you two.”

Cassie laughed as Mae’s cheeks turned a cherry tomato red. A pained groan to their left almost made Alex jump.

“What happened?”

“Tim!”

The boy rubbed his forehead and squinted his eyes, making no attempts to sit up. “What’d I miss?”

“We got Sinestro locked up and your teammates were being all lovey-dovey with each other just now,” Alex replied.

“Oh, they’re always like that.”

“TIM!”

Cassie threw her pillow at Tim, hitting him right on the burn mark on his arm, causing him to cry out in pain, but he smiled nonetheless. Alex laughed at the scene, glad to see something good come out of this situation. She turned to look back over at J’onn, who was still unconscious but breathing normally. Alex silently hoped that he too would soon join in on their merriment.

_I can’t do this without you._

\---------------------------

Lena stood on the balcony in complete silence as she looked over National City. The sun was beginning to set, the soft orange glow around the buildings giving Lena a sense of peace. She couldn’t count how many times she had done this on the balcony of L-Corp; she was usually stressed about a deadline or frustrated with some of the members of her board when she did, and it was no different today. Kara and Alex’s father figure and Mae’s girlfriend and best friend were lying unconscious in the medical ward because they got in the way of Sinestro. Lena hung her head low and let out a shaky breath, willing herself not to cry in front of the rest of the DEO.

“Thought I’d find you out here.”

Kara’s warm voice brought Lena out of her thoughts as the blonde leaned on the railing beside her. “I’ve found that this is a good place to brood.”

“You think I'm brooding?”

“Well, I always come out here when I have a lot on my mind. Plus, J’onn told me that he found Mae out here one night, so I guess thoughtful brooding runs in the family.”

Lena huffed, her face falling at the mention of J’onn. Kara moved closer and took Lena’s hand in her own, kissing her fingers gently.

“They’re going to be alright, Lee. They are.”

Lena met Kara’s eyes, the blue eyes filled with resolve. “How do you do that?”

Kara furrowed her brow. “Do what?”

“Stay positive even when it feels impossible to do so.” Lena shook her head. “J’onn, Cassie, Tim, everyone…this is all because of me.”

“Lena…”

“No, listen to me, Kara,” Lena pleaded, her voice on the verge of breaking. “Sinestro came here to get revenge on me for something I did to him. He came here for _me_ and everyone here got caught in the crosshairs.”

Kara shifted so she was fully facing the CEO. “Lena, none of this is your fault, you have to believe that.” She cupped Lena’s face and stroked her cheek with her thumb. “Because I do.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a good person, Lee, a good person with a big, kind heart. I’ve always admired that about you.” Kara shyly smiled. “It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

Lena returned the blonde’s smile. It still baffled her how Kara thought she was worth saving, worth loving. The super-heroine deserved someone better, someone more…heroic. The fact that Kara chose _her_ was absolutely mind-blowing to Lena. She leaned into Kara’s embrace, the blonde’s strong arms holding her close to her chest. Lena brushed the ends of Kara’s hair with her fingertips as she buried her face into the Kryptonian’s neck.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” Kara whispered back. “Now and forever.”

Lena pulled back and leaned her forehead against Kara’s, her lips curving up into a hopeful smile. “Now and forever.”

Kara grinned. “Speaking of which, would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Lena furrowed her brow but couldn’t hide her amusement for the question. “I thought I already was?”

Kara looked down sheepishly, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. “I know, it’s just that…I guess I wanted to make it official, and with everything that’s going on, I didn’t know when we would have the time to.”

Lena shook her head and smiled. “Kara, you can be such a dork sometimes. But to answer your question, yes. I would be honored to be your girlfriend.”

The blonde’s eyes lit up like sapphire stars. “Great.”

She leaned in and kissed Lena, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman’s waist, pulling her closer until their hips were touching. Lena felt euphoric whenever she kissed Kara. The Kryptonian’s lips were incredibly soft and warm, tasting of honey and rain. Lena put her hands around Kara’s neck, pulling her in to deepen the kiss. She wanted to keep kissing Kara like this forever, a small voice in the back of her head telling Lena that she would be.

“Ugh, first Mae, now you two?”

Alex’s voice came out of nowhere and startled Kara so much that she bit Lena’s bottom lip.

“Oh Rao, I’m so sorry, Lena! Are you okay?”

Alex laughed as Kara’s eyes pored over Lena’s face.

“Alex, what the hell?”

“Kara, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Lena joined in Alex’s laughter as she raised her hand to her mouth. “I can handle a bit of blood, it’s no big deal.”

Kara turned red in the face as Alex continued to laugh harder. “We’re just messing with you, Kara. Anyway, I came out here to tell you guys that Cassie and Tim woke up.”

Kara’s ears perked up. “That’s great! Are they okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. Vitals checked out and everything. They both have some scars from the fight, but those will heal in time.”

“And J’onn?”

Alex’s face fell, her eyes downcast. “Still unconscious, but he’s breathing.”

Kara nodded solemnly. “That’s good.” She placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “He’s going to be okay, Alex. I feel it in my gut.”

The side of Alex’s mouth curved upward. “Mae said the same thing. Guess positivity and optimism runs in the family.”

Kara beamed, enveloping Alex in a big bear hug. Seeing the support and love that the sisters had for one another, Lena couldn’t help but be reminded of moments like that between her and Lex, the days before he went on a genocidal rampage. Her heart ached for those times, for the brother she lost all those years ago. Luckily, she had someone like Kara that helped to ease the pain of that loss.

“Alex, you need to get some sleep,” Kara said as she pulled away. “We all do. I’ll have Vasquez watch over J’onn tonight.”

The agent remained silent for a few minutes. Lena recognized the look in her eyes: she had worn that same, stubborn look several times in the past when Jess practically had to beg her to go home and sleep. Maybe she and Alex weren’t so different after all.

“Fine,” Alex said after a while. “But take Mae with you. God knows she needs to sleep in a proper bed after everything that’s happened.”

“Wasn’t planning on leaving without her. Is she still upstairs?” Kara asked.

Alex nodded.

“Cool. I’ll be right back.” Kara squeezed Lena’s hand lightly before heading up to the medical ward, leaving her and Alex in an awkward silence.

“Not quite the week you were expecting, huh?” Alex inquired after several minutes.

Lena couldn’t help but laugh. “Far from it, but it has been exciting save for everything relating to Sinestro.”

“Tell me about it. I can’t wait to tell Maggie about all of this. She’s going to be so jealous that she missed out.”

Lena furrowed her brow. “Where has she been?”

“Out in Gotham working on a case. Apparently, there’s a guy calling himself The Clown Prince of Crime who’s causing major problems for the city and the GCPD needs all the help they can get.”

“ _Clown Prince of Crime_?” Lena chuckled. “That’s some name.”

“Yeah, no kidding. But I hear he’s pretty dangerous, so I wouldn’t let the name fool you.”

Lena saw Alex tense up a little after she said that. “Are you worried about Maggie?”

Alex met Lena’s gaze. “A little bit, yeah. I mean, she’s tough and smart and she can handle herself if things go to shit, but I can’t help it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Alex. You’re allowed to worry about the people you care about.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Yeah, maybe. You’re going to be doing a lot of worrying from here on out, I imagine.”

Lena laughed, wondering if she should tell Alex about her being a superhero in the near future. She would’ve loved to see the look on the agent’s face if she did, but decided against it when she saw Mae and Kara coming down the stairs. “You’re probably right, but I have faith that they’ll come home at the end of the day.”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

“And if there’s anything I can do to help J’onn, you let me know. I would be more than happy to help.”

The agent smiled. “I appreciate that.”

\----------------------------

Mae entered the apartment with a look of awe on her face. She, Kara, and Lena had decided to crash at the latter’s place as Lena had more than one bed in her apartment and refused to let Mae sleep on Kara’s couch again. Kara was currently flying Alex back to her apartment; the blonde wanted to make sure that Alex stayed true to her word about getting some sleep, so Mae and Lena went on to the CEO’s apartment.

“Are you hungry?” Lena asked as she walked into the kitchen. “I think I have some leftovers in the fridge, or if you want, we can call Kara and have her pick up something?”

Mae shook her head, taking in everything around her as she walked around. Lena’s apartment was _huge_ , but then again, it always had been. But there was something missing; in fact, there were a lot of things missing. Maybe that’s why the place seemed so much larger now.

“Mae, are you alright?” Lena was now standing a little ways behind Mae, her arms folded across her chest.

“I’m fine,” Mae replied, her eyes scanning the walls. “It just looks so different.”

“What do you mean?”

“It just is.” Mae turned around to look at Lena. “It’s…empty.”

Lena nodded slowly, not knowing at first how to respond. “I’m not one for material possessions. Mostly.” She furrowed her brow, a light-bulb going off in her head. “Wait a minute. Have you been here before?”

Mae ran her hand through her hair. “Uh, yeah. I…we, as in you, me, and Kara, live here in the future.”

Lena raised her eyebrows. “We do?”

Mae nodded. “These walls have been my home my entire life. So many memories here.” She smiled as her eyes landed on the television. “We would have movie nights out here once a week as a reward when I finished all my homework. We would fight…well you and Kara would fight over what we should watch, I just sat there laughing at y’all. It was mostly action flicks and rom-coms.” Mae’s eyes widened as she suddenly turned on her heel and sped towards one of the rooms, opened the door and entered.

A large bed sat in the center of the room against a colorless wall. An unused closet stood open next to a brown desk that also appeared to be untouched. Mae looked around, biting back the tears that were starting to burn the back of her eyes.

“Mae?” Lena followed her into the room, her brows furrowed in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Mae answered, her voice merely a quick breath. She felt Lena standing right beside her, the CEO’s heart quickening its pace just a tad.

“Is this your room in the future?”

Mae nodded, meandering over to the bed and sitting down on the mattress. It was as stiff as cardboard, not soft and downy as she remembered. This wasn’t her bed.

“You and Kara took turns each night reading bedtime stories to me when I was little. I would not sleep until I had my story. Sometimes they were actual books, like Harry Potter or The Magic Treehouse series. I had The Giving Tree memorized by the time I was five.” Mae let out a laugh. “But other times, Kara would tell me stories about Krypton. About the culture, the society, the people. The myths surrounding their religion and beliefs and the purposes of each guild. You would listen right alongside me, taking in every word she said. At the end of each story, Kara would sing me a Kryptonian lullaby. She told me when I was older that it was the same one her mother used to get her to sleep.” Mae clutched the jewel around her neck. “Looking at this place now feels so strange. I don’t feel at home here, if that makes any sense. Probably because now I’m a stranger to it.”

Lena’s face was shining with tears. She knew all too well how Mae felt, to be a stranger in one’s own home. She had felt like that all her life living with the Luthor’s, and she certainly wasn’t going to let Mae feel like that now or ever. Lena sat down next to her daughter on the mattress.

“I know you miss it. Your time, your home, even Kara and I. I know this place looks and feels different from how you remember it, and that’s because it is. But that doesn’t make it your home any less.” She took Mae’s hand in her own, giving the girl a reassuring squeeze. “This will always be your home, no matter what. And I will always be here to welcome you home. I promise.”

Mae leaned in and rested her head against Lena’s shoulder. “It’s good to see that some things haven’t changed.”

Lena chuckled, giving Mae a kiss on the top of her head. “Alright, go get yourself cleaned up. Kara should be here shortly.”

Mae nodded as she got up and headed towards the bathroom. Lena went into her own bedroom and stripped out of her day clothes and changed into an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. She collapsed onto her bed, the exhaustion from the past few days crashing over her like a large wave. Lena fought to keep her eyes open, at least until Kara arrived, but fatigue held her tight and pulled her into a dark, dreamless sleep.

\----------------------

Lena was awoken hours later by a loud ringing noise. She sat up quickly, letting out a relieved sigh when she realized where she was. Kara was fast asleep beside her, her blonde curls falling across her face. Lena smiled as she leaned down and kissed her girlfriend on her forehead. How can Kara look so damn adorable while sleeping? The ringing persisted, however, bringing Lena out of her stupor. She realized it was coming from her cell phone, so she picked it up and answered it, not even bothering to check who was calling.

“Hello?”

“ _Hello, Lena._ ”

A chill went down Lena’s spine, her eyes going wide. She was fully awake now.

“Mother.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Lillian have a long overdue mother-daughter chat with a surprise at the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Lena-centric chapter, and it's a long one too, so grab a snack and buckle up 'cause y'all are in for a ride!

“What do you want, Mother?”

Lena was standing on her balcony, her mind and heart racing.

“ _I just wanted to check in on my only daughter,_ ” Lillian said through the phone. “ _Can you fault me for that?_ ”

Lena scoffed. “Now you care about my well-being? That’s rich. What do you really want, Mother?”

The silence that followed set Lena even more on edge. She could practically see Lillian smirking, like a spider that caught a fly in its web.

“ _You know what I want._ ”

“I’m not joining you.”

“ _Lena, Lena,_ ” her mother tsked. “ _How much longer are we going to keep playing this game?_ ”

“It’s not a game, Mother,” Lena growled, “but your reign of terror will end with you rotting in prison and Cadmus is nothing but a pile of ash.”

Lillian laughed, the sound chilling Lena to her core. “ _You can never kill Cadmus, dear. As long as someone out there shares our sentiments, we can never die._ ”

Lena clenched her jaw, the hate for her mother increasing with each passing second. “You’re wasting your time, Mother. If you have nothing more to say to me, I would like to get back to bed.”

“ _Oh, I forgot to ask. How is Miss Danvers? Or should I say Supergirl?_ ”

Lena froze, her heart leaping up into her throat. How did Lillian know? “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 _“Oh Lena, darling, you should know better than to play dumb with me. I know Miss Danvers’s secret and I also know how you feel about her. Honestly, Lena, how could you let her deceive you like that?_ ”

Lillian didn’t try to hide her disgust, which made Lena fume with anger. “You’re one to talk, Mother.”

Lillian ignored the quip. “ _Is she with you right now? Is that alien spawn with you as well?_ ”

Spawn? Was she talking about Mae? Lena’s hand curled into a fist, her fingernails digging into her palm. “Do not talk about Mae like that.”

“ _Ah, so the spawn has a name_.” Lena heard what sounded like footsteps through the phone. Was Lillian walking around somewhere? Where was she? “ _She and I had a little chat while she was in my care. She seems to have inherited much of Supergirl’s spunk. Like mother, like daughter as they say._ ”

Lena felt everything slow down around her. How much did Lillian know about Mae? About her and Kara? About the three of them? Lena hated being blind-sided like this.

“ _I can’t remember the last time you were this quiet, Lena. It’s very rude, I believe I taught you better than that._ ”

Lena remained silent, not giving Lillian the satisfaction of winning.

“ _Very well,_ ” Lillian said after a while. “ _Why don’t we continue this conversation in person? It’s been a while since your last visit and I think a reunion is overdue._ ”

“Go to hell, Lillian.”

“ _Come now, Lena, don’t be like that. I just want to talk._ ”

“Aren’t you doing that right now?”

Silence. “ _You will find it in your best interest to hear what I have to say, Lena. You know where to find me._ ”

_Click._

Lena stood on the balcony for several minutes, her heart thundering within her ears. The world began to spin around her so she held onto the railing as tight as she could, feeling as if she was going to be sick. The backs of her eyes were burning, threatening to release a monsoon of tears. She didn’t understand. What did Lillian want with her? Her mother’s words sent a shiver down her spine, so it was most likely nothing good. One thing Lena knew for sure is that Kara and Mae had to stay safe and she would do anything to ensure that.

She stepped back inside, gently closing the door so as not to wake Kara, and climbed back into bed beside the blonde. Lena snuggled up next to Kara, her heartbeat steady and strong like a drum. Lena let out an exhausted sigh and closed her eyes. She wished that she could run away, that she could take Kara and Mae and fly away, away from her mother, from Cadmus, from everything.

“Lena?”

A husky voice made Lena jump. Kara was awake, her blue eyes shining in the darkness. “What’s wrong? Your heart rate is through the roof.”

Lena didn’t respond, afraid of how Kara would react if she told her about Lillian.

“Lena,” Kara whispered, her voice as soothing as her touch. “You can talk to me. Did something happen?”

Lena closed her eyes. She couldn’t lie to Kara, not after everything that’s happened between them. Lena sits up slowly, running a hand through her hair before she recounted the conversation she had with Lillian. Kara sat up as well, her eyes never leaving Lena’s but hardened with resolve the longer Lena went on. When Lena finished, Kara’s eyes were burning with anger.

“I really don’t like her,” Kara fumed. “Lillian won’t get anywhere near our daughter again, I swear to you.” She took Lena’s hands in her own and gently kissed her fingertips. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you or to Mae. Not as long as I’m around.”

Lena looked down, fresh tears beginning to pool in her eyes. “I’m going to go talk to her.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I’m going to go talk to her.”

“Lena.” Kara rubbed her temples with her fingers. “Are you hearing yourself right now? What else is there to talk about with her?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Lena replied. “But she said I would be interested in what she had to say and I would be lying if I didn’t say my curiosity is getting the best of me.”

Kara furrowed her brow. Lena had that look in her eye, meaning that her mind was made up. Kara sighed in defeat. “Okay, but you’re not going alone.”

“Kara…”

“No, Lena!” Kara got up and began to pace the room. “Lillian’s dangerous, we have no idea what she’s planning. What if she’s just saying all of this to lure you out? What if this is a trap?”

“Kara.” Lena got up and reached out, grabbing Kara’s arms and stopping her in her tracks. “My mother may be evil, but I don’t think she wants me dead.” She wraps Kara’s arms around her waist and leans her forehead against the blonde’s, their breaths intermingling with one another as Kara softly kisses her on the nose. “Just let me do this. I promise I will come back to you.”

Kara cupped Lena’s face, stroking the CEO’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Okay. Just please be careful.”

Lena nodded. “I will. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Kara smiled. “Now and forever.”

Lena leaned in and kissed Kara like she’s never kissed her before, lingering on the blonde’s lips for a few extra moments before disentangling herself from Kara’s arms and changing into a pair of jeans and a nice t-shirt. She placed another chaste kiss on Kara’s lips before heading out the door, hoping that this wouldn’t be the last time she would kiss Kara.

\------------------------

Lena remembered the last day she set foot in this place like it was yesterday. It was the day before Lex was arrested. She had just come home from MIT for the weekend and wanted to surprise Lex and to hang out with him like old times, only to be turned away by a man who wore his face. Lena will never forget the crazed look in her brother’s once-warm eyes. One look at them and she knew she had lost her brother forever, the only member of her family that seemed to care about her. Did Lillian know that when she chose this place to meet? If she did, then she was crueler than Lena had previously thought, and that was saying a lot.

The warehouse that had once been filled with trinkets and inventions that Lena foolishly thought would change the world for good was now stripped bare, making the place seem all the more hollow. It made Lena’s heart break a little, but that sadness was quickly replaced with anger when she saw Lillian standing in the center flanked by two of her masked goons.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come,” Lillian said, her lips locked in a tight smile. “I guess I haven’t worn out my welcome yet.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “Let’s skip the small talk, Mother, and say what you came to say so I can go back home.”

A glimmer of something passed across Lillian’s face, but was gone before Lena could make out what it was. “You must know that I do care about you, Lena. I also care about the well-being of this city.”

“I can tell, seeing as you constantly terrorize it and cost the city thousands of dollars in property damage.”

“Lena!” Lillian barked, the Luthor anger that Lena had grown up with showing for a brief moment. “It may not look like it at first glance, but I do care, and I want to see this city thrive once again. The people of National City are in need of an awakening, Lena. They’ve gone soft, blind to the monstrosities that live right under their noses, the ones that live right next-door to them.”

Lena couldn’t fathom the words coming out of Lillian’s mouth. How could her mother think of these people as monstrosities? How could she think Kara was a monstrosity when the blonde was constantly risking her life to save others, human and alien alike? It made Lena’s blood boil.

“These ‘monstrosities’, as you call them, are just like you and me,” Lena said, trying to keep her voice from cracking. “They have jobs, they have families, they have lives here. Some of them come from worlds destroyed by famine, by civil war, by disease, and you dare call them ‘invaders’.” Lena laughed. “Is this all revenge for what Superman did to Lex? Well, the joke’s on you, Mother, because Lex was his own undoing. And you are pathetic and sick and crazy if you think I am going to let you get away with this.”

“You don’t even know what I have planned yet, so how do you plan on stopping me?”

Lena smirked. “I have some friends in high places. Very powerful ones who are just as hell-bent as I am on stopping you.”

Lillian threw her head back and laughed. “If you’re talking about Supergirl and those wannabe secret agents, then your faith is sorely misplaced.” She took a few steps towards Lena. “Don’t you see, Lena? Nothing can stand in our way. Supergirl isn’t the city’s savior, Cadmus is. And everyone in National City will soon see that.”

The cold determination in Lillian’s voice made Lena’s hair stand on end. “Why don’t you just tell me what you’re planning, then?”

“So you can tell your Super-friends?” Lillian chuckled. “No. I’m not going to let you ruin our fun.”

The two men behind her began to walk forward, stepping past Lillian and making their way to Lena. Lena started to back up, her heart picking up its pace.

It was a trap.

“Why are you doing this?”

“To show you that I’m in the right, Lena, and that you can be to,” Lillian responded. “It’s not too late to join the winning side.”

The men each grabbed one of Lena’s arms, holding on tight as she struggled to break free. “Supergirl will stop you.”

Lillian started to giggle like a schoolgirl, which made Lena’s stomach drop. “She hasn’t yet, so what makes you think this time is any different?”

A loud crash sounded overhead, Lena’s vision soon flooding with blue and red whirs. When the world stopped spinning, she found the two men lying unconscious on the ground and Kara and Mae standing on either side of her.

“It’s over, Lillian,” Kara said as she made her way towards the older woman. “We’re taking you in.”

The self-satisfied grin on Lillian’s face unnerved Lena. “You’ve caught me at a bad time, Supergirl. I didn’t have time to properly clean the place. I think it could use a little more color, don’t you?”

Kara stopped in her tracks as Lillian pulled out a small remote and pressed a button, falling to the ground as the entire warehouse began to emit a green glow.

“Mom!” Mae ran over to Kara, only to join her on the ground a few seconds later.

“Mae! Kara!” Lena sprinted over to her family, her breath catching in her throat when she saw green veins creeping up Kara’s neck.

_Kryptonite._

“Where did you get it?” Lena shouted at Lillian.

“You can never be too careful with these Supers,” Lillian said as she took a step towards them, holding the remote by her head. “I’ve had this Kryptonite enhanced so it reaches a greater distance and inflicts greater damage. It’s wonderful, is it not?” She smiled as Kara and Mae continued to writhe on the floor.

“ _You monster!_ ” Lena spat through clenched teeth. “Turn it off!”

Lillian raised an eyebrow and hummed, pretending to ponder over her options as the Kryptonite levels increased. An agonized cry escaped Mae’s lips as Kara gritted her teeth, crawling over to her daughter and squeezing her arm, trying to provide some comfort to her. Lena held them both, tears running down her cheeks. “Mother, please!”

Lillian remained silent, watching the spectacle before her as if she were watching her favorite movie.

“Mother, please, I’m begging you! Turn it off!” Lena yelled and screamed at Lillian until her voice was raw. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, sending more tears down her cheeks as she realized what she had to do. “I’ll go with you.”

Lillian’s ears perked up. “What was that, dear? I didn’t quite catch that.”

Lena looked up, her emerald eyes glaring at Lillian’s. _If only looks could kill._ “I’ll go with you, Mother.”

“Lena,” Kara slurred as she reached up to touch the CEO’s face. “Don’t…”

“It’s okay,” Lena whispered, taking Kara’s hand in her own and placing them against her chest. “Don’t worry about me. You need to get Mae out of here and get somewhere safe.”

“M…Mom…” Mae groaned, fighting to keep her eyes open.

Lena placed a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head. “You’re going to be okay, sweetheart, I promise.” She turned back to Lillian, whose eyes were wide with surprise. “Turn off the Kryptonite and I’ll come with you.”

Lillian narrowed her eyes, her signature smirk adorning her face. “Very well. Come along now.”

Lillian strutted past the fallen Kryptonians as she pressed a different button on the remote. The green glow started to die down, but slowly; Lena knew that Kara and Mae would be stuck here for a while.

“Lena…”

Lena kissed Kara before the blonde could protest. “You’ll find me,” she whispered into Kara’s lips. With that, she got up and followed Lillian out the door, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as they sped away from the warehouse to an unknown destination.

\------------------------

The dark hallway seemed to drag on and on the farther they walked down. Lena kept pace with Lillian, trying not to show the tumultuous emotions that were warring within her. Her mother had remained silent the entire trip here, but had kept her smile; she was still smiling as they made their way down the hall. What was Lillian planning? The possibilities made Lena sick to her stomach.

“Where are you taking me, Mother?”

“Now Lena, if I tell you now, it would ruin the surprise.”

They soon entered a large room where several weapons were being housed and tested on. Lena’s eyes widened at the sight: guns of every shape and size were being rolled around in trolleys from storage rooms to testing rooms, large foreign machines were being transported by forklifts across the room, and several workers were hurrying to and fro from station to station.

“What the hell is going on down here?”

Lillian smiled at her daughter. “The future. But this is not what I brought you here for.”

She walked past all of the workers and their trinkets with what Lena assumed was excited purpose. She had never seen her mother excited about anything in her entire life, which made Lena all the more anxious at what Lillian had up her sleeve.

They went through another door and down another hall lined with transparent boxes, each one containing a different artifact. Lena slowed her pace to get a better look at them; each one had a unique design, some painted in colors that Lena had never seen before. These were alien artifacts, and were most likely being tested on by Lillian’s minions. A glimmer out of the corner of Lena’s eyes caught her attention, so she went over to investigate.

A small ring was on display in a big glass case, the center of the ring pulsing with bright green energy. Lena tensed up when she saw it. It reminded her of earlier: the Kryptonite-laced warehouse, Kara and Mae rendered useless because of it. Her heart sank as she thought of them, of her last words to Kara. _You’ll find me_. Would she? Lena had to have faith that Kara would, but the truth was that Lena herself had no idea where she was. How could she expect Kara to find her?

The ring’s sudden movement snapped Lena out her thoughts, the green object vibrating slightly. How the hell was it doing that? Suddenly, it jerked forward, launching itself against the glass right in front of Lena’s face. She jumped back, letting out a small yelp.

“Lena?”

The CEO turned around to see Lillian walking towards her.

“What are you doing back here?”

Lena felt her throat close up as she turned to look back at the ring, which had assumed its normal position. She furrowed her brow. Did she imagine everything? With all of the stress that Lena was under at the moment, it seemed plausible.

“Cat got your tongue, Lena?” Lillian quipped, clearly exasperated. “Let’s go, I haven’t got all day.”

With one last look at the ring, Lena followed her mother down the hall and into another room that was guarded by two large, burly men. It was empty, save for a few what Lena assumed to be scientists, and well lit, surprisingly enough. They were working on a device in the center of the room, a small but long silver object that resembled a remote. Lillian told them to leave as the two women now stood over the object. Lena had seen this device before, but it was smaller and in the hand of a Kryptonite-wielding cyborg.

“Mother, what is this?”

“This,” Lillian said, gesturing to the device, “is the future.”

Lillian walked over and picked it up before returning and handing it to Lena, who turned it over in her fingers. A wave of nausea began to rise in her stomach as the memory of Mae writhing in pain outside of L-Corp returned to her.

“You’re probably wondering how such a small device could fix a big problem, so I’ll tell you,” Lillian said, pride dripping off her every word. “This device will be able send out radio waves that only aliens will be able to hear. Think Myriad, but humans will be safe this time around.”

Lena’s eyes widened in horror. “You want to make every alien in National City’s head explode?”

“The idea was tempting at first, but it would’ve ben too messy,” Lillian replied as she shook her head. “No, I actually plan to start small, to test the waters as they say. I’m thinking starting with a certain Kryptonian that we both know.”

The color drained from Lena’s face, her heart pounding against her sternum. _Kara_.

“Our mutual yellow friend was so kind to give me this technology. He said it would hurt Supergirl and be her undoing, and he just might be right.” Lillian held out her hand, but Lena’s grip around the remote tightened.

“Lena, the remote please.”

Lena took a slight step back.

“Lena, stop being so insolent and give me the remote.”

The CEO took another step back and hid the device behind her back. “I won’t let you do this, Mother.”

Lillian glared at her daughter, the older woman’s shoulder tensing up. “Lena, what will it take to make you see reason?”

“ _I won’t let you kill the woman I love!_ ”

The look that crossed Lillian’s face was one Lena had seen many times, making her resolve weakened slightly. “You really think that _woman_ loves you? You’re more naïve than I thought. I’m disappointed.”

Lena huffed. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

“Enough of this, Lena! Give me the remote and we can start getting along again.”

“Like we’ve ever gotten along before,” Lena scoffed.

“Guards!” Lillian shouted.

The two men from outside came bursting into the room and grabbed Lena by her arms. Lena struggled to break free, but they were too strong and the remote was knocked out of her hand.

“I’ve told you many times, Lena,” Lillian said as she bent down and picked up the remote, her voice laced with ice, “Cadmus always wins.”

“You’re wrong,” Lena growled. “I don’t care how long it takes, I don’t care how it’s done, but I will stop you. Do whatever the hell you want to me, but the moment you hurt the people that I care about, I will hunt you down and unleash hell upon you and this godforsaken organization. I will keep fighting until Cadmus is nothing more than a bad memory.”

Lillian’s lips formed a tight smile, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Take her away.”

The guards began to drag Lena towards the door, with Lena resisting as much as she could, kicking and screaming for somebody to help her. All of the sudden, something burst forth through the door, hurtling straight towards Lena. A course of raw power surged through Lena and she yelled, overwhelmed by the electricity flowing in her veins. A blast of green light sent the guards flying against the wall, leaving them unconscious. Lena looked up, her body shaking all over. How in the living hell did she manage to do that? She looked down at her hand and saw the ring from earlier resting on her finger, the green energy in its center teeming with life. Lena gasped, finally recognizing it for what it was: a power ring.

 _Her_ power ring.

She let out a surprised laugh as she continued to examine the ring, stopping only when she saw her mother lying on the floor, also unconscious, her hand still holding the remote. Lena took it and closed her fist around it, thinking that the DEO would want to take a look at this. As soon as she thought that, she shot upward through the roof, an orb of green surrounding her and protecting her from the debris. Next thing she knew, she was soaring across National City. Lena couldn’t believe it; she was flying. Flying! She let out a loud _whoop_ , wondering if this was how Kara felt whenever she took to the skies.

She arrived at the DEO in no time, landing somewhat ungracefully on the balcony and earned some confused stares from many agents. It wasn’t until she was wrapped up in strong, blue arms that her heart started to calm down.

“I was looking everywhere for you,” Kara said, pulling back to place a soft kiss on Lena’s lips. “How did you escape?”

Lena smiled widely, holding up her ring hand. “Have I got a story for you.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mae helps Lena master the powers of the ring, Lena and James reconcile, and some more Supercorp goodness occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be three or so more chapters after this one (including the epilogue), so the story is almost done! However, I am considering writing one-shots about Mae and her team/family when she gets back to the future, so let me know if you guys want to see that. 
> 
> I'm also writing a Supercorp/Beauty and the Beast AU right now! The first three chapters are up right now if you want to go check them out! 
> 
> Happy Reading!

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Lena had been sitting in the medical ward for the past hour as Alex ran several tests on her. Kara and Mae were present as well, a look of awe in the young girl’s blue eyes.

“For the millionth time, Alex, I’m fine,” Lena replied. “In fact, I feel more than fine. I feel… _fantastic_. Better than I have in a long time.”

Kara and Alex both gave her wary looks as Mae failed to bite back a smile. The CEO had told them everything that had happened with her and Lillian once Kara had stopped smothering her with kisses, but the blonde never let go of Lena once; even now, Kara held Lena’s hand as if it was her lifeline.

“Okay, everything’s checking out so far,” Alex said as she listened to Lena’s heartbeat. “You do seem fine, better than fine even, as you said. I still want to run some blood tests though, if that’s okay with you.”

Lena nodded. “Of course. Do what you need to do.”

After Alex filled up a couple of vials with Lena’s blood, she headed down to the lab, her eyes quickly passing over J’onn; the Martian was still unconscious, but the color was beginning to return to his face, so everyone took that as a sign that he was going to be okay and wake up soon.

“How’s she doing?” Lena asked once Alex left the room.

“Better,” Kara replied. “J’onn’s condition’s improved, thankfully, so Alex’s mood has improved as well.” She cupped Lena’s face and stroked her cheek with her thumb. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Kara,” Lena said, kissing the blonde’s palm. “I'm actually more worried about you and Mae. Are you both alright?”

Kara nodded. “Mae and I spent some time under the sun lamps when we got back, but I still feel a little out of it. Whatever Lillian did to that Kryptonite…it was something else.”

Mae shook her head, the look in her eyes morphing into a mix of confusion and fear. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Not even in my time. I didn’t even know that this was possible.”

“Lillian’s definitely been up to some shit,” Lena said as she rested her head on Kara’s shoulder, thinking about the remote she had entrusted to Winn earlier. “I’m just glad my girls are safe.”

“Likewise.” Kara leaves a lingering kiss on the top of Lena’s head as Mae walked over and sat next to her mother.

“This is pretty cool, though,” Mae mused as she traced the patterns on Lena’s ring. “You finally got it.”

“Wait, you knew she was going to get this?” Kara asked.

“I’m from the future, I know almost everything,” Mae smirked. “I just didn’t know _when_ she was going to get it. This is cool, it’s like watching history unfold right before me.”

Kara furrowed her brow as she watched the ring shimmer on Lena’s finger. “What can it do?”

“All kinds of things,” Mae replied, her grin reaching her eyes. “Would you like to see?”

\----------------------------------

Two hours later, Lena was in the training room covered in sweat, her lungs burning with each intake of oxygen. Mae and Garfield were breathing heavily as well, but years of training had seemed to work in their favor as they still looked un-mussed for the most part. Kara, Cassie, and Tim were on the sidelines as the latter two were still recovering, trying not to laugh as they observed Lena getting her ass handed to her by two teenagers.

“I thought you said you did information and recon,” Lena groaned after Garfield knocked her on the floor for the umpteenth time.

“Doesn’t mean we don’t know how to throw a punch,” Mae said as Garfield returned to his position. “Or take one, for that matter.” Mae walked over and helped Lena get back on her feet. “You’re getting better, but you still haven’t been able to produce anything substantial yet.”

“You’ve been telling me that for hours, Mae,” Lena grunted, wincing as she stretched out her side. She was definitely going to be sore tomorrow. “Can you tell me something that might actually help me?”

Mae rolled her eyes. “Fine. You’re thinking too much. You need to clear your head of all thoughts and focus on controlling your willpower.”

“And when I do that, what then?”

“Anything you want,” Mae replied, smiling as she went back to her position on the mat. “Again.”

Lena took a deep breath, ignoring the pain as she held out her ring hand in front of her and made a fist.

“Alright, now close your eyes. Focus on the energy from the ring and let it flow through you.”

Lena nodded and did as she was told, taking several deep breaths as she blocked everything out of her mind, tuning out all thoughts until there was nothing but darkness surrounding her.

It was cold and empty when she reopened her eyes, the only sounds present being her shaky breaths. Lena furrowed her brow. Was this supposed to happen? She tried calling out to Mae, but she got no response. Her heart began to beat faster and her breaths became shallower as the darkness seemed to close in on her, dragging her down further and further into its endless depths. Lena’s throat closed up as she realized that she could be trapped here; she had no idea how she got here and there didn’t seem to be any way out. Lena closed her eyes, biting back the burning tears and praying for a way back to the DEO, to Mae, to Kara.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a small green dot in the distance. Lena narrowed her eyes as she began to walk towards it, and the closer she got, she realized that the dot was not only getting bigger, but was pulsating with sizzling energy and a soft voice seemed to be coming out of it. She reached out when she close enough, the green glow washing over her skin like an emerald river. Her body was now pulsating with the green energy, its waves coursing through her veins, the voice now booming in her ears with powerful rigor, possessing her with words that sounded like a prayer:

 

_In brightest day, in blackest night_

_No evil shall escape my sight_

_Let those who worship Evil’s might_

_Beware my power, Green Lantern’s Light!_

 

Suddenly, a bright beam of light came zooming right at her. The light grew brighter and brighter, forcing Lena to shut her eyes as the energy overwhelmed her, letting out a piercing cry as it took over her completely.

“Lena. Lena!”

Lena opened her eyes to find that she was back in the training room. Garfield was groaning and splayed out on the ground next to Mae, who was rubbing her shoulder. Kara, Cassie, and Tim were staring at her, stupefied expressions on all of their faces.

“What happened?” Lena asked, her voice hoarse all of a sudden.

No one responded and continued to look at Lena with mixed looks of shock and awe. The CEO felt the color rising in her cheeks and her heart start to race again. “Seriously, guys, what’s going…on?”

Lena had finally looked down, her eyes widening at the green and black material that was now covering her entire body, the symbol on her ring matching the one on her chest. Lena gasped. She couldn’t even feel it; it was almost like a second skin. She looked back up and met Mae’s eyes, the girl’s blue orbs round with amazement.

“What…what happened to me? Are you okay?”

A smile spread on Mae’s face as she let out an ecstatic laugh. “You did it.”

“Did what?”

“I…honestly don’t know,” Mae shrugged. “I think that you successfully connected with your willpower.”

Lena looked back down at her ring, which was shimmering and sending viridescent sparks flying off her finger. “This is…this is…definitely something else.”

“I’ll say,” Kara finally spoke, her voice barely audible. “You get your own costume and everything, huh? Guess that gives Winn less to do now.”

Lena smiled as she ran a gloved hand through her hair. “I still can’t believe this myself.”

“Who would’ve thought?” Kara mused as she sauntered over to Lena. “A Luthor _becoming_ a Super.”

Lena laughed as she looked down, attempting to hide the pink that was surely flooding her cheeks. “Surely seems odd, doesn’t it?” she quipped as Kara placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

“I like it,” Kara said, the famous Danvers smile that made Lena weak in the knees returning to her lips. “Green’s definitely your color.”

“Thank goodness for that, or I would have to ask for a refund.”

That earned a laugh from the rest of Young Justice, the looks of awe in their eyes replaced with looks of amusement. Mae smirked as she stood up and rolled out her shoulder. “Okay then. Let’s see if the fancy outfit will improve your fighting skills.”

Lena’s jaw dropped as she narrowed her eyes. “Oh, it’s on.”

Mae smirked knowingly as she moved back to her spot on the mat next to Garfield, Kara returning to the sidelines next to Cassie and Tim. Lena steadied her stance, raising her ring hand in preparation for the attacks she was about to face. Sure enough, Garfield transformed into a bull and charged Lena with full force. Lena panicked for a split second, wishing for something to stop the young bull. Not even a nanosecond later, a large green wall manifested itself before Lena. She heard a loud crash from the other side, but nothing broke through.

_Holy shit, I did it!_

Her elation lasted all of two seconds as Mae burst through and blasted Lena with her heat vision, sending the CEO flying through the air, but Lena managed to stabilize herself midair right before she crashed into the wall. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins like an electric river, her costume practically glowing with energy. She pointed her ring at Mae, sending a blast of green light hurtling at her, which Mae easily maneuvered.

“That was good,” Mae said. “Let’s work some more on that.”

She shot up into the air until she was eye-to-eye with Lena. Lena was amazed at how much Mae looked like Supergirl in that moment, the intensity in her eyes and the confidence in her posture matching the Kryptonian’s on so many levels. Mae took a deep breath and sent a blast of freeze breath in Lena’s direction; Lena raised her arm and produced a green force field as the ice wrapped around her, immediately breaking through once the ice had solidified. Garfield dodged the discarded ice shards as a hawk as he soared towards Lena, his claws outstretched as he let out a screech. Lena closed her eyes, focusing on the first thing that came to her mind, punching Garfield out of the sky with a large, green fist.

“Good!” Mae exclaimed, a proud expression on her face as she floated down to help Garfield.

Lena beamed. Beneath her, Kara, Tim, and Cassie cheered, which made her smile wider. She floated down and joined them on the mat, Kara nearly knocking her over as the blonde wrapped her up in a bone-crushing bear hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered as she kissed Lena. Mae and Garfield joined them a moment later, the latter rubbing his side tenderly.

“Oh my God, Garfield, are you alright?” Lena asked, her voice laced with concern.

“I’m fine, Lena,” Garfield nodded, a toothy grin plastered on his face. “Never thought I would get to face off with you like that. I must say, you pack quite a _punch_.”

Cassie rolled her eyes as Tim outwardly groaned, Mae shaking her head as she mussed Garfield’s hair and pinched his ear. Lena couldn’t help but think that this is what her life will be like in a few years’ time, the thought making her swell with excitement. She still couldn’t believe her odds. If only Lillian could see her now.

“Lena! Your suit!”

Kara’s voice brought Lena back to reality and she looked down, her eyes widening as her suit began to fade away until she was left in her training clothes. Even her ring seemed to have lost a bit of its glow.

“What just happened?”

“Your ring must’ve run out of juice,” Mae replied. “It needs to be charged.”

Lena furrowed her brow. “Charged? With what exactly?”

Tim responded this time. “A Power Battery. It’s basically a large phone charger for your ring when it runs out of energy, but it doesn’t need to be plugged in.”

Lena nodded slowly. “Where do I get one?”

Mae shrugged. “I don’t know. As far as I know, you’ve always had one.”

Kara placed a hand on Lena’s shoulder. “We’ll find one, but for now, I think we all need to get some rest. These past few days have done quite a number on all of us.”

Everyone murmured their agreement and began to shuffle out of the room. Lena, Mae, and Garfield got their injuries checked out in the medical ward before the latter went with Tim and Cassie back to the time-ship. Lena and Mae made their way towards the balcony to join Kara to go home when James intercepted them.

“Miss Luthor? Can I speak to you for a moment?”

Lena narrowed her eyes, her body tensing up slightly. The last time she and James met, he had shouted to the whole world that she couldn’t be trusted because she was a Luthor, and his later conversation with Kara had left the blonde in a foul mood. Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, however, she curtly nodded, telling Mae that she won’t be long. She followed James back upstairs into a remote hallway where no one would overhear them. They stood there for a few minutes in silence, Lena quickly noticing that James looked nervous.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day,” James began. “It was uncalled for and completely out of line.”

Lena folded her arms across her chest, not completely trusting his apology. “What brought about this change of heart, Mr. Olsen?”

James rubbed the back of his head anxiously. “After Kara and I talked about…you the other day, I saw you both with Mae, I believe that’s her name, together, laughing and smiling. You all seemed happy. It was then I realized that I may have misjudged you based on a grudge against your brother, and I truly am sorry for that. I know now that you are not Lex, so I hope you can forgive me for assuming you were.”

Lena stared at James for several minutes, genuinely perplexed at James’ confession. She had never had anyone apologize to her before in this regard, except maybe Jess, but that was usually for other people who attacked her for her family’s wrongdoings. This was definitely a first for Lena, and she didn’t know how to respond.

“I also want you to know that Kara didn’t put me up to this,” James quickly blurted out before Lena could answer. “This is all me.”

“I believe you,” Lena said after a while. “I accept your apology, Mr. Olsen. Forgive me for not responding right away, it’s just that…no one’s ever apologized to me before.”

“I’m sorry about that too,” James said, placing his hands on his hips.

“It’s alright. I’m quite used to it by now.”

“You shouldn’t be. People will come around. Hell, if _I_ can, they can too.”

Lena gave James a half-smile. “I appreciate that, Mr. Olsen.”

“Please, call me James.”

“Well, if I’m calling you James…”

“Lena it is.”

Lena smiled fully now. “I’m glad we’re on the same page now, James. I hope we get to work together more in the future.”

James returned her smile. “I hope so too.”

James walked Lena back down to the balcony, where they said their goodbyes before Kara and Mae flew the CEO across town back to her apartment. Lena rested her head against Kara’s shoulder as Mae flew ahead, her body overcome with exhaustion from the past 24 hours. She craved nothing more than a hot bath and a good seven hours of sleep, hopefully curled up next to the woman carrying her right now.

\---------------------------------

Lena woke up a few hours later to an empty bed. She remembered falling asleep in Kara’s arms after they both showered, but now she was nowhere to be found. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, her mind still groggy from sleep. Her damp hair had left dark stains on her pillow and her sweatshirt, but she was too tired to care. She wasn’t too tired, however, to notice a faint green glow coming from the end of the hall. Her heart leapt into her throat as she assumed the worst, ripping the bed sheets off of her as she sprinted into the living room.

“Kara!”

She found the Kryptonian sitting on the couch across from a large object that was emitting the green glow. Kara turned around, her eyes softening when she noticed Lena’s panicked expression.

“Lena, hey, it’s alright,” she said, striding over and wrapping the CEO in her embrace. “I think I found your Power Battery thing. It just came out of nowhere.”

Lena disentangled herself from Kara’s arms as she got a better look at the object sitting on her coffee table. It was a large lantern that was pulsating with the same green energy that had flowed through her ring. She held out her fist towards the green center of the lantern, letting out a gasp once the ring made contact with it, vibrating with new energy.

“Guess that did it,” she said as she plopped down on the couch, her ring now fully charged. Kara sat next to her and wrapped her arm around Lena’s shoulder.

“You okay?” she asked, a look of concern in her eyes.

Lena nodded absentmindedly, resting her head in the crook of Kara’s neck and breathing in the blonde’s honey and lavender scent.

“I still can’t believe that I’m a superhero,” Lena whispered, looking down at her ring, twisting it between her fingers.

Kara turned to look at her. “You’ve always been a superhero, Lena,” she said. “You just have a fancy ring now to show for it.”

Lena blushed, burying her face into Kara’s neck and kissing her pulse point. “I can fly now, Kara. I flew over the city to get back to you, and I wasn’t afraid.” Lena sat up, her eyes meeting the Kryptonian’s. “The only other time I feel like that is when I’m flying with you.”

Kara grinned. “See, you are meant for this Lena, same as me. And whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together.”

Lena smiled, planting a sweet kiss on Kara’s lips. “ _El mayarah._ ”

Kara blinked in surprise before returning the smile and the kiss. “ _El mayarah._ ”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara reflects on everything that's happened as well as a promise she made, Mae and Kara have an emotional moment, playful Supercorp banter, gayness, and fluff, and the world welcomes back Space Dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update! It's been like seven years since I posted. Writer's block was back with vengeance and I've been focusing on my Beauty and the Beast/Supercorp AU (the first 8 chapters are up now if you want to check them out). Hopefully you guys like this because the action comes back soon.
> 
> Side-note: This story may be a little longer than originally planned (I originally said three more chapters, but there might be more), so be on the look-out for more chapters.   
> Also, a lot of you guys seem to be excited about the one-shots, which is great because I am too, and I've gotten requests to make them about Kara and Lena raising Mae aka the early years while my original plan was to have them take place once Mae and Young Justice return to their time. Let me know if you prefer one over the other or if you like both or none, and I'll take them into consideration. 
> 
> Happy Reading!

It was still dark out and when Kara awoke for morning patrol. Lena was fast asleep beside her, the CEO’s arms wrapped around the blonde’s torso as her head rested on Kara’s shoulder. The Kryptonian couldn’t help but smile. Lena looked so peaceful while she slept, the thought of Sinestro and Cadmus and Lillian and training far away, at least for the time being. Kara wondered what Lena was dreaming about; hopefully, it was something nice. She placed a soft kiss on the CEO’s forehead, slowly disentangled herself from her girlfriend’s limbs so as to not wake her up, quickly changed into her Supergirl outfit and took off towards the skies.

The city was quiet at this time of day, with only a few people and cars lining the streets. Kara had found early on in her career as Supergirl that flying while it was still dark out was a great way to clear her head. She hadn’t had that much time to herself these past few weeks for obvious reasons, but now she had time to really reflect on it all, and there was a lot to reflect on.

First off, there was Mae. Kara still couldn’t fathom the fact that she had a daughter, but that didn’t change how she felt about the girl. Kara had only known Mae for a few weeks, but she had never felt prouder of anyone before. Mae was a superhero in her own right and leader of her own team, and from what Kara has seen, Mae was a kind and competent one. The girl also inherited Lena’s beauty and wit while she got her appetite and eyes from Kara, and she had the most beautiful smile. Kara’s heart melted whenever she saw it. She didn’t think she could love anyone so deeply, but Mae proved her wrong, and Kara was glad that she got to meet her.

Then there was everything that had happened with Cadmus and Sinestro. Kara couldn’t wait until she and everyone could put all of this behind them. When Sinestro kidnapped Mae, Kara had no idea what she was going to do if she lost her. Thankfully, they got her back and locked the bastard up in a holding cell, knocking him out with sleeping gas every few hours so he has no time to use his ring to get out. They tried to remove the ring, but failed; the accessory was practically glued onto his finger. J’onn was still unconscious, but should be waking up any day now, so Kara was relieved about that. She knew Alex was as well. Kara couldn’t bear to think about what Alex would do if she were to lose J’onn; she didn’t want to think about what she would do either.

Her thoughts ultimately drifted to Lena as she flew past L-Corp. A few of the lights were on, but most were still off, as some employees who were already there were getting ready to start their workday. As excited as Lena was to have powers and be a superhero, she was also extremely nervous; Kara could tell as much from the CEO’s heartbeat the past few nights. If Lena decided to go down this path, the target on her back would double in size; some people still held prejudice against Lena solely because she was a Luthor, and Kara hated that Lena was still experiencing all of this pointless hate when the CEO had proven time and time again that she was on the side of good.

The Kryptonian flew by L-Corp once more, hovering in front of Lena’s darkened office as her eyes landed on the white couch against the wall on the far end of the room. Kara smiled. She and Lena had many conversations on that couch, but one in particular stood out for her.

It was the night Jack died. Lena was sitting alone in her office, staring at the chessboard on the coffee table before her with emptiness in her eyes. Kara had brought flowers in the hopes of cheering Lena up, but the CEO didn’t even crack a smile.

_“Once I start to feel things again, I’m going to be very afraid of the person I become.”_

_“You don’t have to be afraid. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”_

_“Promise?”_

_“I will always be your friend, and I will always protect you. I promise.”_

Kara let out the breath she had been holding in, fighting the tears that were stinging the back of her eyes. That night had made her realize how much Lena meant to her, and she vowed to herself that she would always protect Lena. Kara intended to keep that promise, whether or not Lena had superpowers.

She made one more loop around the city, waiting until the sun started to peek over the horizon, before returning to Lena’s apartment building. The CEO had already left for work, it seemed, as the bed was now empty. Kara changed back into civilian clothes and walked into the kitchen to find something to eat, instead finding a note folded on top of the island. The smile on her face grew exponentially as she recognized the careful, precise penmanship of her girlfriend.

_I have a meeting today with the board and then some follow-up paperwork for the Star City deal, but other than that, I shouldn’t be too long at the office. Mae promised to help train me some more and I’d rather do that than sit in a room with stuffy, old, stubborn men, no matter how sore I feel. I hope patrol went well._

_I know these past few weeks haven’t been easy for you. They haven’t been easy for me either, but out of everything that’s happened, I’m glad we’ve gotten closer. I never thought that I would be happy, or that I was deserving of happiness, but you’ve shown me that I do ever since you walked into my office with Clark Kent. No words can describe how much I’m grateful for you or how much I love you, Kara Danvers. Or should I say, Kara Zor-El, haha._

_In all seriousness, I do love you and I don’t plan on stopping for a very long time._

_Yours forever, Lena_

Kara was grinning ear to ear by the time she finished the letter. She didn’t think it was possible to love Lena Luthor any more than she already did—which was a lot—but the CEO was constantly proving her wrong. When all this was over, Kara planned to take Lena out on a proper date. She was mulling over possible places to take Lena that she didn’t hear Mae enter the kitchen.

“You’re up early.”

Kara jumped slightly and almost dropped Lena’s letter. “So are you,” she retorted, placing a hand over her chest.

Mae yawned as she trudged over to the fridge. “Couldn’t sleep,” she said as she grabbed an apple and bit into it. “You?”

“Patrol.”

The two Kryptonians stood in silence for a bit as Mae continued to eat her apple.

“I can’t stay for much longer,” Mae said after she threw away the core. “My team and I need to head back to our time soon.”

Kara felt a lump form in her throat as her hand tightened around the note. “When will you be leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning, first thing,” Mae replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. Kara felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

“I…I wasn’t expecting you to go so soon.”

“I’ve been here for almost three weeks, Mom,” Mae said. “I can’t stay any longer even if I wanted to.”

Kara looked down, the tears already building up at the back of her eyes. Next thing she knew, she was swiftly wrapped up in a hug and being rocked gently back and forth.

“Aw, don’t cry,” Mae soothed as she rubbed Kara’s back. “Because if you start crying, then I’m going to start crying, and it’s just going to go downhill from there.”

Kara laughed, leaning back until she and Mae were face-to-face. “No, it’s just…it feels like I just met you, and now you’re leaving, and…this must’ve been what Eliza felt like when Alex and I went off to college, now that I think about it. Rao, that day’s going to suck.”

Mae joined in on Kara’s laughter, the latter pulling her daughter back into an embrace. They stayed there for several minutes, swaying in silence until Kara’s phone began to ring. The blonde reluctantly pulled away from Mae as she went to answer it.

“What’s up, Winn?”

“ _I’ve got great news!_ ”

“Rao, Winn, calm down. What is it?”

“ _J’onn’s awake_.”

\--------------------------------------

Lena sat in her office early that morning as she looked over the next batch of paperwork regarding the Star City deal. Her body ached all over, with every movement feeling like her limbs had been replaced with cement. Training sessions had increased their intensity over the past few days, and while Lena could feel herself getting better and stronger, each session left her as drained as her ring. Mae oversaw each session as she knew the most about Lena’s abilities: giving her advice, showing her how to perfect her moves, and teaching her how to fly properly. The rest of Young Justice had been helping out as well: Garfield continued to help Lena with her offense and defense; Cassie showed her how to use the different weapons her ring produced; and Tim taught her the basics of hand-to-hand combat in the case that her ring failed, a subject in which Alex also occasionally helped out on when she wasn’t busy doing other DEO related stuff.

Speaking of her ring, Lena found it extremely annoying that she had to charge it whenever it ran out of power, which was becoming more frequent with every training session, and she didn’t even want to think about what would happen if she lost her powers mid-battle, if she would even get that far. Lena put her pen down and stared at the ring on her finger, the green energy shining slightly when the sun hit it from behind her. An idea dawned on her, so she pulled out a fresh piece of paper and began to brainstorm, the stiff muscles in her arms screaming their protest, but she ignored them in favor of getting her idea down before she forgot it. Once Lena finished scribbling, she smiled down at her outline proudly. This could work if she went about it the right way, and she prayed to God that it would.

Her phone began to vibrate, a big smile spreading across Lena’s face when she saw Kara’s face on her screen. “Hello?”

“ _Lena, hey!_ ” Kara spoke excitedly. “ _How was your meeting?_ ”

“Boring as usual, and some of the members are still being stubborn asshats about expanding to Star City.”

“ _They’ll come around eventually, Lena, you’ll see._ ”

Lena chuckled. “Always the optimistic one.”

“ _Someone’s gotta be! Are you busy?_ ”

“Just working on an idea that came to mind,” Lena replied. “Is something wrong?”

“ _Oh no! Nothing’s wrong! Quite the opposite actually_ ,” Kara quickly stated. Lena could practically see the smile on the blonde’s beautiful face.

“What is it?” she asked.

“ _J’onn’s awake_.”

Lena’s eyes widened, her smile expanding into a grin at the good news. “Kara, that’s wonderful news! Is he alright?”

“ _I would assume so. I haven’t gone over there yet ‘cause I was wondering if you wanted to go together. Mae’s already over there_.”

Lena laughed. Could Kara get any cuter? “Of course, dear. I would love to.”

“ _Great!_ ” A loud thud sounded from outside and Lena turned to see her caped girlfriend stride in. “You ready?”

“Were you out there the whole time?”

“Not the whole time…”

“Kara Danvers, were you _flying_ while you were calling me?”

Kara looked down sheepishly at her boots. “Maybe…”

“Kara!” Lena exclaimed as she shot up, instantly regretting the move as her legs screamed in pain. “You should be more careful. You could’ve crashed face-first into a building!”

“I have an earpiece that connects to my phone, so I was flying hands-free,” Kara countered as she pointed to a small device in her ear. “Besides, I’m invulnerable. I would’ve been fine if I crashed.”

“Would the buildings be fine?” Lena shot back, leaving Kara at a loss for words.

“You got me there,” the blonde said, the smile returning to her face. “So are you ready?” She held out her arms as if waiting for Lena to climb in.

“You do know that I can fly too, right?” Lena asked as she held up her ring hand.

“You’re not as fast as me though.”

“I can fly fast! I beat my record yesterday during training!”

“I never said that you _weren’t_ fast, I just said you aren’t as fast as me.”

Lena scoffed. “You are unbelievable.”

“What can I say? It’s one of my many charms,” Kara grinned smugly.

“You’re going to eat your words.”

Kara stared at Lena with interest. “Is that a challenge I hear?”

Lena touched her ring, her super suit forming over her body as an answer. Kara shook her head playfully. “Oh, you are on, Lena Luthor.”

“So what do I get when I win?”

“ _If_ you win,” Kara corrected. “How about a kiss from your favorite person?”

Lena pondered over it for a bit. “Sounds fair. I’ll ask Alex if she’s game when I get there.”

Kara’s jaw dropped as Lena broke into laughter. “You’re cold.”

“I’m a Luthor,” Lena replied, pulling Kara in close until their noses were touching. “I was raised to be cold.” She kissed Kara hard and passionately, her arms wrapping around the blonde’s waist and pulling it onto hers. Kara kissed her back with equal fervor, her fingers running through Lena’s dark hair as she deepened the kiss, whining slightly when Lena pulled apart a moment too soon for her.

“I’ll see you at the DEO.”

With that, Lena leapt off the balcony and sped towards the DEO, leaving Kara in a state of confusion and awe behind her. The Kryptonian laughed to herself as she took off after Lena.

_I am going to marry that woman._

\-------------------------------------

Lena landed on the DEO balcony a split second before Kara did, startling the agents that were passing by.

“Woohoo! I won!” Lena shouted, her suit fading away as she turned around to see Kara cross her arms in front of her chest.

“Only by a hair!”

“Nevertheless, I still beat you.” Lena walked over and wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck. “I believe you owe me a kiss.”

“You kissed me back at L-Corp!”

“I want another one,” Lena said, her fingers playing with the ends of Kara’s curls. “Besides, I like kissing you.”

Kara smiled as her cheeks turned a bright pink. “I like kissing you too.” The blonde started to lean down, but just before their lips met, a voice interrupted them.

“Just my luck. This is the second time I’ve found you two kissing out here.”

Kara pulled back and glared at Alex. “We weren’t kissing.”

“Well, you were about to,” Alex countered, her hands on her hips. “I hope you don’t make a habit out of this. Now come on, J’onn’s been asking for you.”

The blonde’s face lit up and she followed her sister up the stairs, Lena following close behind. Before they got to the medical ward, Kara whipped around and planted a kiss on Lena’s lips.

“I love you,” Kara whispered as she interlocked her fingers with Lena’s.

“I love you too,” Lena whispered back, placing a chaste kiss on Kara’s cheek as they entered the medical ward.

Kara’s hand tightened around hers when they saw J’onn sitting up in his bed, clad in DEO sweats and a large papa-bear smile on his face, surrounded by Alex, Mae, Winn, the rest of Young Justice, and a few other agents.

“J’onn!”

The blonde threw herself at him, the Martian laughing jovially as he wrapped his arms around Kara.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” the blonde choked out, Alex fighting back tears behind her.

“As am I,” J’onn replied as he rubbed Kara’s back. “So what did I miss?”

Kara turned back to Lena and smiled, her blue eyes shining with fresh tears. Lena returned the smile as Kara turned back to J’onn. “Just wait ‘till you hear this.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> J'onn gets filled in, Lena and Winn work on an idea, and the Super-Family has one last emotional night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I spent the entire weekend binging Jessica Jones Season 2 and I've been busy with work, classes, and gym, so writing time had gotten away from me, but it's here!!
> 
> We're almost at the end, which means at least two more chapters and I want to write an epilogue as well, and then it's one-shot time!!! Hurrah!
> 
> Happy Reading!!!

They spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon filling J’onn in on what had happened since Sinestro’s attack on the DEO. Kara did most of the talking with a few interjections from Alex and Mae, while Lena and the others listened in silence, smiling at Kara’s palpable enthusiasm. J’onn listened attentively to the blonde, but his interest peaked when it came to Lena’s story.

“A Green Lantern, huh?” he mused, a proud smile on his face as Lena showed him the ring. “I must say, I was not expecting this, but I will also say that it couldn’t have happened to a better person.”

Kara beamed at Lena and wrapped her hand in a reaffirming squeeze. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Lena returned Kara’s smile before looking down almost shyly, trying to fight the tears that were desperate to break free. “Thank you, J’onn. That means a lot to me.”

“The Green Lantern Corps is a very powerful group of intergalactic warriors,” J’onn explained. “Not many humans are a part of it.”

Lena nodded. “I’ll do my best to prove myself then.”

“I have no doubt that you will,” J’onn said, giving Lena a reassuring smile. Lena felt an overwhelming gratitude for J’onn in that moment. The two have never had a conversation before, at least not a proper one, but the man already had tremendous faith in her.

“Alright, I think we should let you get some rest,” Alex said, placing a hand on J’onn’s shoulder. The Martian nodded as everyone got up and said their goodbyes to him. Mae, Cassie, Tim, and Garfield took their leave first, followed by Kara and Lena as Alex saw to J’onn.

“You going to train?” Kara asked as they headed down the stairs.

“In a bit,” Lena replied. “I need to talk with Winn about something first.”

“Okay.” Kara chastely kissed Lena on the cheek, which sent a shiver down the latter’s spine. God, that never gets old. “See you in the training room.”

Lena nodded as Kara made her way down the hall. She sighed, a smile creeping onto her face. The love Lena felt for the blonde superhero had grown exponentially since the day they met, and Lena was sure that it would keep growing. She was a little worried that her heart would give out from the constant fluctuation of emotions Kara made her feel, but she realized that she wouldn’t mind going out that way: dying with love in her heart and knowing that she was loved when the rest of the world deemed her unlovable.

She made her way to the main control room and found Winn at his computer, typing as fast as his fingers would let him. Lena was absolutely amazed at Winn’s skills and work ethic. Kara told her about how they worked at CatCo together and that Winn was just an I.T guy, and Lena was glad to see that Winn’s gifts were better utilized here at the DEO.

“Hey, Winn.”

Winn let out a small yelp, nearly jumping out of his seat at the sound of Lena’s voice. “Lena, hey,” he said as he tried to recover himself. “Didn’t see you there.”

“I was hoping to talk to you about something. Are you busy?”

Winn’s eyes widened at the proposition. “Uh, sure,” he replied as he turned around, giving Lena his full attention. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s not what you can do _for_ me, it’s what you can help me _with_.” Lena held up her ring hand. “As much as I love having superpowers now, I am getting tired of having to charge this thing every single night. An idea dawned on me while I was at L-Corp this morning and it just might work, but I need your help with some of the mechanics.”

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the slip of paper with her idea on it and handed it to Winn, whose lips stretched into a giddy grin as he looked over it.

“Lena, this is a great idea,” Winn said, his brown eyes beaming. “It’s going to be a challenge seeing as I don’t fully know how the ring operates, but I think we might be able to pull this off. When do we start?”

Lena smirked, the ring glowing with jovial energy on her finger. This was going to be fun.

\---------------------------------------------------

Several hours later, Lena and Winn were up to their eyeballs in stacks of discarded outlines and sketches, both going back and forth with their own ideas of how the tech should work, until they finally came up with a suitable outline of Lena’s idea.

“This is brilliant, Winn!” Lena exclaimed as she looked the final draft over. “You’re a genius!”

“You’re the mastermind behind all of this, Lena,” Winn replied, a slight pink in his cheeks. “I just helped draw it out.”

Lean beamed at the small man. “Thank you so much, Winn. I can’t wait to actually start building this.”

“Neither can I.” The excitement in Winn’s voice was palpable, which made Lena even more excited about this project. “A solar-powered ring, and an alien one at that. We should patent this before someone else comes up with it.”

Lena laughed. “I doubt any other company would see the benefit of a solar-powered ring and I don’t think I would be much of a Green Lantern if I sold alien technology for financial gain.”

“I see your point,” Winn replied, a mock frown on his face. “Nevertheless, this will definitely help you. It just might take some time.”

Lena nodded. “Well, the sooner we start, the better. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

Lena allowed Winn to give her a hug and the two said their goodbyes and goodnights. She was heading down towards the main exit when an idea formed at the back of her brain, pulling her back towards the balcony. Her ring seemed to read her mind as it shone a bright green, her super suit forming over her body as she took off towards her apartment.

The city looked so beautiful from a birds-eye view, a kaleidoscope of colors swirling directly underneath her. Lena soared higher into the sky as her body trembled with glee, wondering if Kara felt the same way when she flew over the city. She silently hoped that this feeling would never get old. Lena laughed out loud at the thought; how could someone who hated flying with a burning passion now love it so much? Being a superhero would do that to someone, she guessed.

Lena hovered over the city, taking in all of the sights and sounds below her. Everything looked so small from up here, the world she knew several miles away, the people living their lives in constant motion. Lena had been just like them, going through the motions of life, trying to keep her head above water when reports about Lex’s misdeeds had finally been revealed. She had been doing everything in her power to get out of her brother’s shadow, but people still refused to see past her last name. These past few years had been nothing but a constant tirade of accusations and threats from people Lex had hurt or people who still wanted someone to blame now that he was gone, and Lena just wanted it all to stop. She took a long, deep breath. Maybe up here, it all can.

She continued on her way after a few more moments in peaceful silence, landing softly on the balcony of her apartment. The sound of laughter greeted her as she entered and her lips broke into a smile. Kara and Mae were still up, several boxes of pizza stacked on the coffee table as they sat on opposite sides of the living room.

“Hey!” Kara’s face lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw Lena come in, sweeping the CEO up in a bone-crushing hug. “I take it you flew home?”

“Kara, I can’t…breathe,” Lena managed to say. Kara profusely apologized and quickly released her, causing Lena to laugh. “I thought you two would’ve gone to bed by now.”

“We were waiting for you,” Kara said as she plopped back down onto the couch. “We also saved you some pizza if you want some.”

Lena smiled gratefully, taking a seat beside Kara as she picked up a slice. “Thank you, I’m starving.”

“We figured,” Mae said. “The way you and Winn were working, I knew you wouldn’t be eating anything anytime soon.”

Lena chuckled as she swallowed a bite of pizza. Guess some things don’t change. The three of them sat and ate and talked about Lena and Winn’s project, Lena noticing a smirk form on Mae’s lips when she told them it would be solar-powered. “It works, doesn’t it?” Lena asked her daughter. “My idea?”

Mae shrugged non-committedly. “You’ll have to see for yourself.”

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

Mae rolled her eyes and looked down, the smile vanishing from her face.

“Mae, what’s wrong?” Lena asked as she put down her food. Every nerve in her body was sounding an alarm and was screaming at Lena that something was wrong. She had felt like this when Lex was beginning to slip into madness, but she wasn’t going to make the same mistake with her daughter and ignore her.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Mae said as she shook her head. “I just need to tell you something.”

Lena felt her entire body tense up. “Okay…”

“It’s nothing bad,” Mae quickly added. “And I already told Kara. It’s just that…I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

All of the air in Lena’s lungs vanished at that statement and a large lump began to form in her throat. “You’re going back to your time, I take it?”

Mae nodded, her blue eyes shining. “I wish I could stay longer, but the longer that I stay here, the more the current timeline is changed.”

Lena furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

Kara was the one who answered her. “If Mae stays with us indefinitely, there’s a chance we might decide not to have her when we’re supposed to.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed before widening in realization. “Oh,” she mumbled, silently berating herself for not connecting the dots sooner. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

Lena locked eyes with Mae, the concerned look in the young girl’s eyes something she had seen in Kara’s many times before as both Kara Danvers and Supergirl. That just made this whole thing worse.

“It’s just, uh…” Lena began, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand even though no tears fell. “I feel really selfish for wanting you to stay.”

Tears began to stream down Mae’s cheeks as she cracked a small smile. “I do too.” She got up and sat in between her parents, who proceeded to wrap her up in a big, warm hug. They stayed there for a long while, blue and green eyes burning red with tears as each woman comforted each other. Lena placed a kiss on top of Mae’s head as she gently rubbed the girl’s back, a hurricane of emotions warring within her. She was happy that she got to meet Mae and got to know her some. She was also quite proud of her daughter for already accomplishing so much at such a young age and thankful that Mae helped her with her ring and her powers, but Lena was also sad and angry that Mae was leaving, much too soon for her taste, and that Mae had waited until the night before to tell her. She looked over at Kara, who was whispering affirmations of love to Mae and kissing her on the forehead. Lena smiled sadly, her heart overflowing with love for the two people sitting beside her.

“I’m so proud of you,” Lena whispered to Mae. “Nothing will change that, and thank you for everything.”

Mae smiled, more tears running down her swollen cheeks as she rested her head on Lena’s shoulder, eventually falling asleep as Lena stroked her hair. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, Lena not wanting to move despite her body growing increasingly numb.

“What?” she asked Kara, who she caught staring at her.

“Nothing,” Kara said meekly, her cheeks flashing a bright pink. “Motherhood looks good on you.”

Lena smiled as she looked down at their sleeping daughter. “She looks like you when you sleep,” she said as she softly smoothed out the crinkle on Mae’s forehead. “We’ll be doing this in a few years, you know. When she’s smaller than this.”

Kara exhaled. “Yeah.” She got up and knelt down before Lena. “But I have a feeling we’ll be fine.” Kara smiled that infectious smile of hers, which never failed to make Lena’s heart flutter. She pointed to her lips, and Kara leant up to kiss her.

“I love you,” Lena whispered into the blonde’s lips.

“I love you, too,” Kara replied, kissing her again. “Forever.” She stroked Lena’s arm lovingly as the CEO kissed the top of Mae’s head softly. The conflict of emotions Lena was feeling earlier was gone, now replaced by a strong sense of peace knowing that she and Kara were going to be fine. Lena placed another soft kiss on Mae's head.

Everything was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want, you can follow me at its-danigobingo-world.tumblr.com and we can cry about Supercorp together and be friends!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A final clash between our heroes and villains ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank Pirina/Kakashi-Chidori for reviewing this chapter. You're the absolute best!!! <3

Tomorrow comes much too quickly for Kara. She had fallen asleep on the living room floor, still holding Lena’s hand as the CEO and Mae slept peacefully on the couch. Kara couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She could get used to waking up like this, and she knew she was going to, but she wanted this particular moment to last just a bit longer. Kara soon got up slowly, her body slightly sore as she checked her phone. Alex had messaged her a location that was a few miles outside of the city where they were going to see Young Justice and Sinestro off, the place where the DEO had relocated the time-ship, Kara assumed. She turned to look at her family and fought the urge to cry, shaking her head and sighing. There will be time for tears later.

“Lena, honey,” Kara cooed, gently shaking her girlfriend’s arm. “We got to get up.”

Lena groaned in protest as she opened her eyes, sitting up while still cradling Mae in her arms. She stretched out her neck, which cracked slightly, and locked eyes with Kara, a crestfallen look on both of their faces as they realized what today was. After they successfully and begrudgingly woke Mae up, they all ate some breakfast and took showers before suiting up and flying to the rendezvous point in silence, the air around them as heavy as Kara’s heart. Normally, she would be bubbling with energy to get to work, but today she was dreading the moment of saying goodbye to Mae, and judging from the sound of Lena’s heartbeat, Kara knew her girlfriend felt the same way. She could’ve sworn she saw a tear fly out of Lena’s eye.

They got to the rendezvous point, a field that was home to a large, abandoned power plant, at the same time as the team from the DEO, landing just as Alex and Vasquez stepped out of one of the vehicles fully clad in body armor. The Young Justice squad got out of another car, also dressed in their suits. Kara noticed that despite them all looking well rested, the same somberness she was feeling was also plaguing them. As they walked towards the rest of the group, Kara noticed a peculiar expression on her daughter’s face.

“Are you alright?” she asked Mae as the young girl rubbed her temples in discomfort.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mae answered. “It’s probably a just a migraine.”

Kara frowned as Mae went ahead to join her team. Kryptonians don’t get migraines. They don’t get sick period, at least not on this planet. Then again, Mae was half-Kryptonian so that could be a factor. Either way, it made Kara anxious. Behind her, Alex motioned for her team to open the back of the last van, where Sinestro was lying unconscious with a power-dampening necklace strapped tight around his neck and high-tech cuffs around his wrists, Vasquez informing her that these were a necessary precaution just in case. Nevertheless, it still made Kara feel extremely uneasy, only adding to her mounting anxiety.

“You okay?”

Kara turned to see Alex walking towards her, a look of concern in her brown eyes. The blonde nodded slowly as her sister placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“You do know that this isn’t for forever, right?”

Kara managed to chuckle a little despite tears brimming in her eyes. “Still doesn’t make this hurt any less.”

Alex wrapped Kara in a comforting hug as Lena and Mae went over and greeted the Young Justice squad. “I know,” Alex murmured. “I know.”

“Agent Danvers. We’re ready.”

Kara and Alex pulled apart and joined the rest of the team by the vans, Vasquez and two other agents holding Sinestro up by his arms as they walked him out into the field, closely followed by Kara, Alex, Mae, and Young Justice.

“Where are we going?” Kara asked.

“To the time-ship,” Tim answered, pulling out a palm-sized remote from his utility belt and pressing a blue button. “We couldn’t have it where everybody could see it, could we?”

The time-ship came into view just in front of the power plant, Kara’s footsteps getting heavier as they got closer, her heart sinking as the cargo bay door opened allowing the agents and Sinestro inside. She didn’t want to say goodbye, not yet. As Lena’s hand entwine with her own, it took everything in her willpower not to cry on the spot.

“I’m going to miss her,” Lena said, her voice barely audible as she gave Kara’s hand a gentle squeeze, calming the blonde significantly. “But at least we both have something to look forward to.”

Kara’s lips curled into a sad smile as the tears began to spill onto her cheeks. “I haven’t even taken you out on a proper date yet, and already, we know we’re going to have a child together. I’m going to miss her, too. So much.”

Lena laughed and kissed the blonde’s tears away. “I know, darling.”

Kara turned to look at Lena, the CEO’s green eyes filled with unshed tears, melting the blonde’s heart. She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze just as a strangled scream broke through the air. Both women turned to see Mae writhing on the ground, yelling in pain, with her team surrounding her.

“MAE!”

Kara sprinted over to her daughter’s side, Lena close behind, as all of her instincts switched to overdrive. Alex and the others ran over as well to see what all the commotion was about, her eyes widening at the sight: Mae was clutching both sides of her head, her face beet-red, and her legs curled up into her chest as she continued to scream.

“ _Make it stop! Please, p-please just make it stop!_ ”

Kara couldn’t breathe, her throat closing up as Mae’s body continued to convulse before her. _What the hell is happening?_ She made to reach out to her daughter, hoping to provide at least _some_ sort of comfort for her pain, but Cassie crouched down in her stead, the demigoddess’s voice filled with calm resolve.

“Mae, sweetie, it’s okay! It’s going to be okay, just look at me!” Kara watched as Cassie scooped Mae up in her strong arms. How many times has she had to do this before? Cassie turned to Tim and Garfield, her eyes filled with silver rage. “I’m taking her to the med bay. Find out who’s doing this!”

Tim and Garfield immediately sprung into action, the latter taking to the skies as a hawk while the former joined Alex and the other agents to search the area. Kara turned back to Lena, her panic slowly being replaced by anger.

“It’s the damn chip in her head,” the blonde choked out, remembering what Mae had told her and Alex back in the training room. It seemed like forever ago now. “Someone must have some sort of remote and is using it to—to shock her.” She looked around, her vision blurred with fresh tears. “It’s Cadmus, it has to be.”

“Cadmus?” Lena furrowed her brow. “They were working on a remote when Lillian took me, but I took it when I got the ring, so they shouldn’t have…”

Lena’s eyes went wide, sending a shiver down Kara’s spine. “Lena, what is it?”

“Back at L-Corp,” Lena started, her eyes darting back and forth as she put the pieces together. “When you and Mae were leaving, this exact thing happened to her. She was screaming and in pain and holding her head in her hands…Corben had a remote in his hand, they must still have that one.”

“Oh, how right you are, dear.”

Kara and Lena turned around to see Lillian standing there, her signature smug grin plastered on her face.

“You bitch, what did you do to her?!” Lena shouted as she strode towards her mother, Kara following close behind.

“What I set out to do since this whole thing started, Lena.” Lillian sounded rather bored, which made Kara seethe with fury. “And now Cadmus will reign supreme.”

Gunshots echoed in the distance, Kara’s eyes widening when she realized what was happening.

It was an ambush.

_Alex._

Lena seemed to read her mind. “Go! I got this.”

Kara gave her a quick, thankful nod before zooming over towards the power plant where she heard the first gunshot. It looked like a warzone: DEO agents were on the ground shooting up at Cadmus goonies that were stationed up on the railings of the plant. Kara heard Alex shouting commands at her fellow agents and they moved forward, firing round upon round at their enemies and knocking them down one by one. Garfield charged some foot soldiers in the form of a rhino while Tim worked wonders with his bow staff, dodging every bullet that came his way and knocking Cadmus soldiers unconscious. Kara gritted her teeth and joined the action, taking out some Cadmus soldiers with her heat vision and even more with her super-strength. Once she took care of them, Kara flew a few laps around and inside the plant to see if any more soldiers were hiding out, and when she found none, she returned to the ground to rejoin Alex and the rest of the group.

“Are there any more?”

“Nope. It’s all clear.”

“Where’s Lena?”

“Back at the time-ship,” Kara answered. “Lillian showed up, I have to get back over there.”

“Hey!” Alex exclaimed. “The last time you went up against Lillian Luthor, we found you and Mae in a warehouse filled with Kryptonite.”

“Lucky for me, we’re outside.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Kara, focus. Cadmus obviously knew we were coming.”

“How did they know?”

“Well, why don’t you wake one of these guys up and we can ask them?” Alex asked sarcastically.

Kara glared at her sister. “Round up everybody here. I got to get back to Lena.”

\-----------------------------------------

“What are you doing here, Mother?”

Lillian just smiled and took a few steps towards Lena. “Like I said, dear, to finish what I started. It’s not too late to join the winning side.”

“You must be out of your goddamned mind if you think I’m going to let you hurt Mae.”

The older woman tsked as she stepped closer. “Lena, why are you so adamant about protecting this creature? She is nothing to you.”

“ _She is everything to me!_ ” Lena shouted with barely-repressed emotion. “ _She is my DAUGHTER!_ ”

Lillian stopped in her tracks, the unreadable expression adorning her face quickly morphing back into a smirk, but Lena saw right through her mother’s façade. “So that’s why you were so rattled back at the warehouse,” she mused, her voice laced with ice. “How could you do this, Lena?”

Lena furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Getting yourself mixed up with these…aliens!” Lillian spat out. “You’re a disgrace to the Luthor name.”

“ _I’m_ a disgrace?” Lena bit back. “I’m not the one who murdered hundreds of innocents because of a grudge!”

“Your brother is more than you could ever hope to be!” Lillian’s eyes were wild, looking like a cornered animal gripping at the corners of the cage of sanity. “You have nothing. You _are_ nothing!”

“You’re wrong, Mother.” Lena said, her ring glowing under her touch. “I have everything. I have a family that I made all on my own. I have a woman who loves me despite my last name, and I love her just the same.” Her suit begins to form on her body as she walks towards her mother, and she relishes the look on Lillian’s face when she sees it. “I have powers that I plan to use for good, for the betterment of humanity and alien-kind alike. I was chosen for this, and I will be remembered as the Luthor who made a goddamn difference in this world. You and Lex will be remembered as the ones who tried to tear it apart.”

“You insolent girl!”

Lillian pulled out a small remote and forcibly pressed a large red button. The scream that sounded out from within the time-ship tore through Lena’s heart like a sharp blade, piercing her insides with more pain than she ever thought she could feel. “You would do that to your own granddaughter?”

“The spawn is nothing to me.”

Lena gritted her teeth in rage. _Enough!_

She acted quickly, whipping a construct of a lasso at Lillian and knocking the remote out of her hand, sending it flying high into the sky. A blue blur caught the device before landing right beside Lena, crushing it with a strong hand into nothing but dust.

“You okay?” Kara asked, her blue eyes hard with resolve.

Lena nodded as she turned back to face Lillian, who had gone pale in the face.

“This—this is madness, Lena!” she barked. “You’re going to regret this!”

Lena sighed as she shook her head. “I don’t think I am, Mother.” With that, she punched Lillian square in the nose, knocking the older woman out cold. Kara’s jaw was practically on the ground when Lena turned back around.

“Is it wrong to think that was incredibly badass?”

Lena smirked. “I wouldn’t think so.”

Kara smiled back, making everything else in the world disappear. “Let’s go check on Mae.”

Lena followed Kara into the time-ship, immediately impressed by the artistry and design of it. She was itching to get her hands on some of this tech, thinking of all the various possibilities it could be put to use. In fact, Lena got lost in her own brain that she almost lost Kara on the ship, but was able to catch up to her once they reached the med bay, the women greeted with a sight they weren’t expecting to see.

Cassie was unconscious on the floor with purple bruises beginning to form on her arms and neck, her lasso just out of reach from her hand. Mae was curled up into the corner, tears streaming down her face and her bright blue eyes wide with horror.

“Mae!” Lena and Kara rushed over to their daughter, but Mae remained frozen, staring off into space.

“Mae, honey, it’s us.” Lena probed, gently shaking the younger girl’s arm. “It’s your mothers.”

“Lena, I don’t think she can hear us.”

The CEO shook her head, her eyes scanning her daughter for anything out of the ordinary; that was when she noticed yellow specks littered in Mae’s eyes, Lena’s heart stopping when she realized what was going on.

_Oh no._

“Kara, we need to get out of here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Get Cassie, I got Mae. We need to leave _now_.”

Kara didn’t press any further and did as Lena instructed. The CEO lifted Mae up off the floor and proceeded to follow Kara out of the med bay and back towards the cargo bay entrance, Lena praying that they would make it out alive.

\-----------------------------------

Kara was practically out of breath by the time they reached the cargo bay, not so much from physical exertion as from not knowing what had Lena spooked back in the med bay. She had a hunch, and she hoped she was wrong.

“Leaving so soon?”

A slippery voice made Kara stop in her tracks, her heart racing a million miles an hour as an eerie yellow glow made its way into her peripheral.

So much for being wrong.

“It’s you.”

Sinestro chuckled, the power emanating from his ring wrapping around his face like a sickly halo. “Who else were you expecting?”

“What did you do to them?” Lena practically yelled at the alien. “What did you do to Mae?”

Sinestro gasped. “As if you don’t know, Miss Luthor.”

Kara saw the fear and recognition flicker in Lena’s eyes, the memory of Cadmus swirling within the green orbs. Kara fumed. Sinestro wasn’t going to get away with this again, not if she had anything to do with it.

“Enough with the small talk. I’ve got work to do.”

With that, Sinestro flicked his wrist, sending Kara and Cassie hurtling against the wall. Kara groaned as she stood back up, her head pounding and her vision slightly blurry. That didn’t stop her from charging at Sinestro, who had also flung Lena and Mae against the wall. Kara was able to get in a good punch before Sinestro grabbed her by the throat.

“Such anger in you, Kara Zor-El,” he murmured, the grip on the blonde’s throat tightening with each spoken word. “You would make a wonderful member of the Red Lantern Corps.” He tossed her back against the wall, this time holding her there with a beam of yellow energy. “Guess Black will have to do.”

Kara struggled to break free, but it was no use; Sinestro was too powerful. “You won’t win,” she managed to say, but the quiver in her voice betrayed her.

“Highly unlikely,” Sinestro quipped, “seeing as I got you both right where I want you.” He forced Lena up onto the wall as well with the same energy, Kara shouting in protest to let her go, but Sinestro just laughed maniacally.

“Even as a Lantern, you’re still just as weak and pathetic as you were before,” Sinestro spat. “You’re not worthy of it.”

“Lena, don’t listen to him!” Kara exclaimed. “You are worthy. You are worth it, you said it yourself.” Kara locked eyes with Lena, the fear evident in the latter’s eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Lena. I believe in you. I love you.”

Sinestro rolled his eyes. “Enough with the sentimental crap! It’s time for you both to die, starting with you, Supergirl.”

Kara let out a pained scream as the yellow energy tightened its hold on her, squeezing the air out of her lungs and the life out of her body. As the world around her began to darken, Kara managed to look at Lena one last time.

_If I die, I want her to be the last thing I see._

Kara managed to stay awake long enough to see a bright green light clash with yellow before she fell into a dark, bottomless abyss.

\------------------------------------------

“Kara!”

Lena thrashed and screamed and struggled against Sinestro’s hold, but nothing worked; her fear was getting the best of her. Not only that, but her worst fear was coming true. She watched helplessly as the light began to drain from Kara’s eyes, how the blonde’s limbs hung heavily in the air as opposed to the lightness and bubbliness she usually exudes. Lena cried until her voice was hoarse. Her eyes landed on Mae, who lay unconscious beneath her, and she closed her fists in hard resolve. She wasn’t going to let anybody die today, especially her family.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this,” Sinestro spoke hungrily, his eyes glowing yellow with power. “Now all of you will be erased from existence.”

Lena cracked, letting out a defiant scream as she grabbed onto the beam of energy holding her, turning the yellow waves a bright shade of green. Sinestro turned his attention towards her, his eyes and mouth widening in disbelief. “No!” He let go of Kara and blasted another energy beam at Lena, pushing his power harder this time. Lena let out a cry of agony. The fear…it was too much. There was no way she could win this…it would be easier to give in…to join Kara in their fate. She looked down at where Kara lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, the fire within her rekindling tenfold.

Like hell she was going to give in.

Lena grabbed onto the energy beams with both hands as power coursed through her veins, turning the remaining yellow beams green with her willpower. She glared at Sinesro as her vision turned viridescent, the ring on her hand brimming with power.

“How—how is this possible?” the alien shrieked.

Lena smirked. “I am not afraid. Not anymore.”

With one last cry, she gave a final surge of power, overtaking Sinestro as he succumbed to his own fear. Lena slid down the wall, breathing heavily as her vision returned to normal. She crawled over to Kara, hoping she wasn’t too late.

“Kara. Kara!”

Slowly, the blonde opened her eyes. “Lena.”

The CEO cried out in joy. “It’s okay, Kara. You’re okay.”

“We’re okay?”

Lena nodded. “We’re okay.”

It was over. For good this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want, you can follow me at its-danigobingo-world.tumblr.com and we can cry about Supercorp together and be friends!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Super-Family has one last emotional moment together before saying goodbye...for now at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT!! The last "official" chapter before the epilogue and one-shots!!! I just want to thank all of you guys for sticking with me during this journey. This is not only my first Supercorp fic, but my first fic EVER, so I'm glad to see that for the most part everyone enjoyed it. Thank y'all again and I can't wait to go on the next journey with you! <3 <3 <3 <3 
> 
> Also, thank you to Pirina/Kakashi-Chidori for reviewing this. You're the best!!!!

Things calmed down significantly once Lillian and the rest of the Cadmus soldiers were all rounded up by Kara and the rest of the DEO agents, loaded into the vans and drove back into the city where they would be properly dealt with, but not before having J’onn wipe their memories of the incident, as well as everything else that had happened in the past few weeks. Sinestro was also apprehended, thrown into the brig on the time-ship and kept under strict observation by Tim and Garfield after Alex had reprimanded the agents who were initially in charge of watching the Lantern for leaving their post when Cadmus attacked. Mae was sitting on the ramp leading to the cargo bay next to Cassie, who was still nursing the bruises on her skin, watching silently as they were transported back to the city to be handed over to the authorities.

“Hey,” Cassie said, her voice soft and warm like sunlight; it was one of Mae’s favorite sounds, if not her favorite, able to make the half-alien melt into a love-struck puddle every single time. “Are you okay?”

Mae turned and met Cassie’s eyes. “I should be asking you that. You’re the one that’s covered in bruises.”

“Mae…”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mae hoped the quiver in her voice didn’t betray her as she wrung her hands together anxiously. Cassie wasn’t convinced, though, and immediately wrapped her girlfriend up in her arms as Mae broke down in tears, placing reassuring kisses on her head and cheeks.

“It’s over,” she whispered. “We’re all okay. I’m okay. Your parents are okay, see?”

Mae looked up and saw Kara and Lena talking with Alex as the last van pulled away. Supergirl was holding her side tenderly, trying not to wince as she breathed. Lena rubbed Kara’s arm comfortingly and a look of worry and frustration was locked in Alex’s brown eyes as she patched up her sister. Mae lowered her head onto Cassie’s shoulder, trying to fight the coming tears. “How am I going to leave them now, Cass?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…this isn’t how I pictured saying goodbye.” Mae exhaled deeply. “It—it just doesn’t feel right now.”

Cassie didn’t say anything right away, just continued to stroke Mae’s arm consolingly, the sound of both of their heartbeats filling the silence. “Does it have something to do with what you saw?”

Mae tensed under the demigoddess’s touch. The throbbing in her head may have subsided, but the images seared into her brain would haunt her forever. The sight of her family and team dead, complete with sunken pale skin and glassy eyes, had her frozen in terror, the bile rising in her throat as it replayed in her mind over and over. They all looked like zombies from a horror movie. Mae could’ve sworn she had heard her parents’ voices calling her name during the ordeal, but she didn’t know if that was part of the vision. She nodded slowly, and Cassie planted a kiss in her dark hair.

“I’m sorry,” Cassie breathed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Mae shook her head. “Later.”

Cassie nodded and squeezed her girlfriend’s shoulder gently. “Okay.” She looked over at Kara and Lena. “I know you don’t want to leave, especially after what just happened, but we’ll be seeing them again sooner than you think.”

Mae exhaled deeply, realizing that Cassie was right. She sat up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek as she walked over to where her family was standing. Kara was the first to notice her.

“Mae.” She strode over to her daughter and wrapped her up in an embrace. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Mae spoke into Kara’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Kara nodded. “I will be, the sun’s doing its work. Not as fast as I would like, but I can feel it working.”

“I should hope so,” Alex interjected. “That was quite the beating you took in there.”

Mae smiled sadly as Lena came over and hugged her as well, trying her best not to cry as she buried her face in the crook of her mother’s neck. Why was this so hard? It wasn’t like she was never going to see them ever again; even so…

 _Goddammit_.

“You know, I wasn’t expecting to say goodbye like this.” Mae pulled back slightly. “And I still find that I don’t want to, but…it’s not forever, for either of us.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Kara said, fresh tears brimming in her blue eyes. “You’ll be seeing us in a matter of minutes while it’ll be years before we meet you.”

Mae laughed. “Not that many years.”

“I know, but still.” Kara ran a hand through her hair, a few tears making their escape down her cheeks. “In the short time that I’ve gotten to know you, you’ve…you’ve changed a lot of things for me.” She gestured to Lena. “For us. I don’t want to forget that.”

Mae felt her throat close up and looked down, knowing what Kara meant. Lillian and Cadmus weren’t the only ones who would be getting their minds wiped. “I know,” she managed to choke out, “but it has to be this way.”

Lena folded her arms in front of her chest, her brow furrowed. “How…how much will we forget?”

“Everything that involved Cadmus in the past few weeks,” Mae replied, “as well as Young Justice, and me.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “Wait…does that include…?”

“No, no!” Mae shook her head violently. “At least, I don’t think so.”

Kara and Lena looked at each other with worry in their eyes, their heartbeats skyrocketing. Mae’s heart broke at the sight. “I’m sorry.”

“Honey, no.” Kara embraced Mae again, holding her tight against her chest as she rubbed her back. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm so glad I met and I am so, _so_ proud of you. You are truly worthy of the title of House El and more of a hero than I ever will be.” Kara pulled back slightly and looked her daughter in the eyes, cupping the young girl’s face with her hands and wiping away stray tears with her thumbs. “ _Khap rrip ukiem_.”

_I love you._

Mae smiled sadly, the tears flowing stronger now. “ _Khap rrip ukiem vadhah, Jeju_.”

The two Kryptonians hugged for several minutes, each staining the other’s shoulder with their tears. Finally, Mae let go of her mother and turned to her other one. “It’s cool that I got to see your superhero origin story.”

Lena chuckled. “Well, without you, I would never have become one, so thank you for everything.” She wrapped Mae up in a strong embrace, slightly weaker than Kara’s of course, and kissed her softly on the top of her head. “I’m going to miss you.”

“We’ll see each other again soon. I promise.”

“You sound just like your mother,” Lena mused.

Mae laughed. “I mean it. I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

They too stayed in their embrace for a while, Mae not wanting this moment to end just yet. Lena’s embrace was just as she remembered it: strong, tender, reassuring. Mae had heard stories about Lena before she and Kara met, how she was raised by the Luthors to be cold, calm, and ruthless, but instead turned out to be quite the opposite, how she wanted to help people and save the world, just be a good person. And she was.

She is. Lena was one of the most wonderful people that Mae knew, and Mae thanked Rao everyday that she was her mother. Her and Kara both.

“Mae! You ready?”

Mae turned to see Cassie standing in the cargo bay doorway, her blonde hair flowing in the gentle breeze. Mae took a deep breath and reluctantly let go of Lena, whose grip was still tight on Mae’s arms. “Be safe,” she said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I will, I promise.”

Lena smiled and squeezed Mae’s arms before letting her go. Before Mae went to join her team on the ship, she turned to Alex and gave her a big hug as well. “Thank you, Aunt Alex, for being there for me when I got here. Take care of yourself.”

“You too, kid.” Alex patted Mae on the back and mussed her hair up a little. “Don’t go chasing after any more time-ships now, okay?”

Mae laughed. “Okay.” With that, she turned and walked towards the ship, Cassie waiting for her. After they entered and closed the cargo bay door behind them, Mae sprinted to the main deck. She looked out the window and saw her family looking back at her, tears staining all of their faces, including Alex. Mae waved goodbye, her other hand gripping her mother’s necklace tight, choking back a sob when she saw Kara do the same thing.

“You ready?”

Cassie appeared behind her and sat in the pilot’s seat, punching in the coordinates of their time. _Home_. Mae took one last look at her family, her eyes locking on Lena’s and Kara’s as she nodded, knowing that she’ll always be home no matter where she is. A few moments later, the ship was up and running, almost immediately taking off into the temporal zone. Mae sat in the seat closest to Cassie, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as she sunk into the chair, the emotions of today swirling like a vortex within her.

“We’ll be home in a few minutes,” Cassie said after she talked with Victor through the ship’s comms system, telling him that they were on the way back. She got up and knelt down in front of Mae, kissing the top of her hands. “I’m glad we found you.”

Mae smiled. “I’m glad you found me too.”

She leaned down and met Cassie’s lips halfway, the kiss soft yet filled with so much passion. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Mae flashed a toothy grin just as the AI informed them they had reached their destination, and Cassie climbed back into the pilot seat to land them. Mae looked out the window and saw they were landing just outside Wayne Manor, a few familiar faces waiting for them. Mae’s heart practically leapt out of her chest when she saw her mothers in full superhero garb with anxious expressions on their faces. She nearly let out a cry in glee when their eyes met, Kara and Lena’s faces softening the second they saw their daughter. She turned to look at Cassie, who was giving her the biggest and warmest smile anyone has ever given her. She wrapped Mae up in a hug and kissed her fully on the lips.

“Welcome home, Matrix.”

\-----------------------------------------------

Kara stood on the balcony outside the DEO, deep in thought. Only an hour ago, she had said goodbye to her only daughter after an intense battle with Sinestro, watching her leave on a time-ship with tears in her eyes. She would cry now, but she was fresh out of tears. At least they caught Lillian and stopped Cadmus, for now at least. J’onn had been busy wiping the minds of every soldier and agent that had been involved or knew of Mae’s existence, and was taking a break before doing the same on Kara, Lena, and Alex. Kara tapped her foot anxiously. She was not looking forward to having her mind wiped. She wasn’t a fan of forgetting about Mae, but what if she forgot anything else? What if she forgot…?

“Thought I’d find you out here.”

Kara visibly relaxed as Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist from behind, leaning her head against her girlfriend’s.

“You were right,” Lena said. “Thoughtful brooding does run in the family.”

Kara let out a laugh, glad that Lena was here with her. She took the CEO’s hand in her own and brought them up to her lips. “I know that we’ll be forgetting a lot of things here in a bit, but I want you to know that I could never forget how I feel about you.”

Lena kissed Kara behind the ear lovingly, making Kara shudder slightly. “I don’t think that would be possible for me either. I love you too much.”

Kara turned and locked eyes with Lena. _Is it possible to fall deeper into those magnificent eyes?_ “I love you, too. Now and forever.”

Lena smiled as she pulled Kara closer to her. “Now and forever.”

The kiss was more of a declaration than anything, a declaration and promise of love and commitment to one another. It was tender yet passionate, overflowing with unspoken emotion as Kara melted into Lena’s soft lips. Kara vowed to herself that she would never let Lena go, to always love and cherish the woman in her arms for the rest of her life. A voice from inside broke them apart.

“J’onn’s ready for us.”

Kara nodded as she and Lena followed Alex inside, their hands intertwined. Alex entered the Martian’s office first, leaving the two other women waiting anxiously outside.

“Hey,” Lena said as she stroked Kara’s cheek. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Kara smiled at Lena as the latter pressed their foreheads together.

“Don’t worry, baby,” Lena whispered against Kara’s lips. “The future will be fine.”

A small voice in the back of Kara’s head reaffirmed this statement as she pulled Lena in for one last kiss. No matter what comes their way now, they will face it together.

Now and forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want, you can follow me at its-danigobingo-world.tumblr.com and we can cry about Supercorp together and be friends!


	27. Epilogue: 3 Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet our heroes again three years later where a new story begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the official end of this story, but I still plan on doing one-shots so be on the lookout for those. I'm currently writing a Beauty and the Beast/Supercorp AU, so if you want to check that out, you can, and I also have plenty of other Supercorp related content coming down the pipeline as well. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey, it's been a major part of my life for the past few months now, and I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love you all and thank you. <3
> 
> Also, thanks to Pirina/Kakashi-Chidori for reviewing this last chapter. :D

“ _Lena, watch your left!_ ”

Lena barely had any time to react as a huge chunk of pavement went whizzing by her head, scraping her cheek before it crashed into an unsuspecting lamppost. Letting out a small pained cry, Lena covered her cheek with her hand, dodging another large chunk as she took to the skies.

“ _You okay?_ ” James asked, clad in his Guardian armor.

“I really hate these guys,” she grumbled to herself. “Why today of all days?”

The White Martian roared in response as it continued its rampage on the city, people screaming and running as Guardian led them to safety below her prompting Lena to take action.

“I thought we got rid of all of these fuckers the last time they came around,” Lena shouted as she raced after the alien, forming a construct of a lasso and tossing it around its thick neck, using all of her strength to rein it in.

“ _We must’ve missed one,_ ” James spoke into her earpiece, grunting as bits of road landed against his shield. Lena grit her teeth as every muscle in her arms were screaming in pained protest, the White Martian not slowing its pace as it did everything in its power to buck her off.

“J’onn, I could really use some help down here,” Lena grunted. Luckily, Lena managed to hold on; she thanked God for those extra training sessions with Kara.

Kara.

“ _On my way._ ”

Just like clockwork, the Green Martian—disguised as Supergirl—flew into view, zooming straight towards Lena and their opponent. A slight smirk appeared on her face; she remembered the maneuver from training. Lena let go of her lass construct and launched herself straight into the air just as J’onn delivered a hard punch to the White Martian’s grotesque jaw. The alien flew backwards and crashed several blocks away, but got up seemingly unscathed as it let out an angry roar. Lena groaned as she landed next to J’onn. “Why can’t that thing just _stay down_?”

“I’ve been asking myself that question for the past 400 years,” J’onn said in response. Lena looked over at her teammate. It was still weird to hear the Martian’s voice coming out of her wife’s body; ever since Kara got pregnant, J’onn had been filling in for her because the public would quickly grow suspicious if their beloved caped crusader went missing for nine months. Lena silently prayed that Kara was okay.

“She’s doing fine, Lena,” J’onn said, causing Lena to grow red in the face. She forgot he could read minds there for a second. “Alex told me the process is going smoothly.”

Lena nodded her thanks, but the ache in her heart didn’t dull. “I should be there with her.”

Before J’onn could respond, the White Martian roared again and charged them both, tearing up bits of the road with its long claws as slobber ran down its chin. Lena and J’onn exchanged a look before readying themselves for another round.

_I’m sorry, Kara. I’ll be there soon, I promise._

\------------------------------------------------------

Lena landed on the balcony of the DEO a little rougher than usual, but she didn’t care as she sprinted inside. Everyone was at their respective stations carrying on their everyday routine, but Lena could feel the nervous energy milling about. Or was that just her? She quickly made her way to the room where they were keeping Kara to find Alex closing the door behind her still in full doctor gear.

“How is she?” Lena asked, nearly out of breath. “Is she alright? Is the baby alright?”

“Lena, Lena, relax!” Alex cooed as she took off her medical mask, revealing a jovial smile. “Kara is fine, and so is the baby. The whole thing went super smoothly. She’s been asking for you.”

“I tried to get over here as fast as I could—”

“I know,” Alex interrupted softly, placing a hand on Lena’s shoulder. “And so does she. Now get in there, Mama.”

Lena’s heart leapt up into her throat. _Mama_. That was going to take some getting used to. She thanked Alex and stepped inside.

Kara was resting underneath several yellow sun lamps on the lone bed in the room, her face shining with sweat and her chest slowly falling up and down. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lena, the biggest smile plastered on her face.

“Hey, Lee,” she said, her voice incredibly hoarse. “Nice of you to show up.”

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Lena walked over and sat in the chair next to the bed, kissing Kara full on the lips. “I tried to get over here sooner, but there was this White Martian and it would just not give up, and J’onn and I were—”

Lena’s eyes fell on the small bundle within Kara’s arms, her breath catching in her throat when she saw a small tuft of black hair sticking out. “Is this…is this her?”

Kara nodded as her eyes began to fill with tears. “It’s our girl.” She pulled back the blanket a bit, revealing the sleeping face of a tiny infant. Lena’s heart swelled at the sight, tears beginning to slip out of her own eyes. The baby had her hair and complexion, but she looked exactly like Kara when she slept; the resemblance was uncanny, and Lena failed to contain a laugh. Their daughter was beautiful. She was perfect.

“Would you like to hold her?”

Lena looked back up at Kara nervously. “I…what if…what if I drop her?”

“You won’t, Lena.” Kara reassured. “It’s alright.” Kara held out the bundle and Lena took it after a moment of hesitation, her body visibly relaxing once she felt the warmth of her child against her skin.

“She’s beautiful,” Lena whispered, her eyes never leaving the baby. “She looks just like you.”

Kara laughed. “She looks just like _you_. She’s as stubborn as you, too. It took forever to get her out.”

“Kara!”

“Shh! The little one is sleeping.”

Lena laughed silently and closed her eyes, wondering how this was her life. “Have you named her yet?”

“I was waiting for you to get here so we could do it together.”

The tears fell down harder now; Lena continued to be amazed by her wife’s consideration, not fully knowing if she’ll ever be used to it. God, she loved her so much. They had gone through so much together and done so much together ever since the day that Kara stepped foot in Lena’s office, and she thanked the powers that be for bringing this amazing woman into her life.

“I don’t know,” Lena said. “What were you thinking?”

Ever since they decided they wanted to have a child, Kara had been poring over websites with baby names, writing down the ones she liked in a cute little journal that Lena had gotten her for her Earth birthday. Lena had a list of her own as well, but it was not quite as extensive as Kara’s. Kara was going to be an excellent mother, of that Lena was positive.

“How about…Mae?” Kara asked, a sweet smile adorning her face.

Lena reciprocated the smile. “Mae’s perfect.”

They both looked down at their daughter, giving her and each other wet kisses as they laughed and cried with joy. Mae. Her Mae. _Their_ Mae. Lena still couldn’t believe it. “I never thought it was possible to love anything this much,” Lena said.

Initially, she was against having a child, for she didn’t want the sins of her family to stain the child’s life. Lena knew what it felt like to bear that burden, and she didn’t want to bestow it on an innocent life. But Kara, being Kara, told Lena that she was reshaping peoples’ opinions on her with all the good she was doing both as Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp, and as a Green Lantern, a superhero that National City welcomed with open arms. It didn’t take much convincing after that; after all, Lena had never mastered the ability to say “no” to Kara, and Lena found that she never wanted to.

“Neither did I,” Kara replied. “But she has the best mom anyone could ask for.”

“Are you talking about me or you?”

Kara raised an eyebrow at her. “Silly, of course I’m talking about you.”

Lena laughed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Kara said sweetly. “And I swear I will do everything in my power to protect our baby girl. No harm will come to her as long as I’m around.”

“That makes two of us.” Lena smiled, her heart melting when Mae yawned. “Who would’ve thought? A Luthor and a Super?”

Kara laughed as she leaned in to kiss Lena. “Not me. But I’m certainly glad that we found each other.”

Lena reciprocated the kiss. “Me too.”

They sat there for the rest of the afternoon, Kara eventually falling asleep after asking Lena how the battle with the White Martian went, Lena sparing none of the details as she knew how Kara missed being a superhero. As Kara rested, Lena continued to hold Mae close to her chest, whispering promises and telling her snippets about Kara as the babe slept in her arms.

“You’re in good hands,” Lena whispered, placing a soft kiss on Mae’s tiny forehead. “Kara is a wonderful person and I know she’s going to be an equally wonderful mother. You’re lucky. How do I know? Because I am too.”

Lena looked back over at her sleeping wife, who looked just as immaculate after giving birth as she did on their wedding day. Lena was always jealous of those Kryptonian genes, but that didn’t dampen the love she felt for Kara any less. She exhaled deeply and placed a kiss on top of Kara’s wild blonde hair, silently thanking her for not giving up on her.

Their future was starting to look pretty good from where Lena was sitting, and she couldn’t wait to see where they would go from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want, you can follow me at its-danigobingo-world.tumblr.com and we can cry about Supercorp together and be friends!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank y'all so much for reading!! I don't know how long this story is going to be yet, but I'm going to try to get a new chapter out every day or every other day. I have other ideas for Supercorp fics floating around in my head (Hogwarts, Supernatural, etc.) so I'm excited to write those as well. Happy reading!


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